


Corrupted Soul

by Orimau5



Category: Game Grumps, Youtubers, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: First fic ever posted, Freeform, Jumbled mess of plots, M/M, Mainly practice writing, Mark isnt actually in it but dark is him, Monsters, Murder, Undead, af, angelic, demonic, idk what else to put here, whatevs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-07-22 00:05:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7410505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orimau5/pseuds/Orimau5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack finds himself in a dangerous situation with a dangerous demon for desperate measures. The only problem is that he asked for it, so there's no wussing out.</p><p>Tumblr: https://corrupted-soul-au.tumblr.com</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just a Dove.

**Author's Note:**

> So first EVER fic actually posted online. I've been working hard on this and I need to sleep so this is probably very messy. I'll just let you guys decide if you want more???  
> Thank you enjoyyy

Jack stares down at the pentagram. The blood smeared across the smudged chalk and faint writings. Thoughts run through his head as he watches the dove lay in its own growing puddle of blood. This is what it came down to. Sacrifice. A pathetic cheap sacrifice but Jack knows that's just the simple part. A demon doesn't want a dead bird, a demon wants a soul.

He sit quietly on his knees as the blood dries against his clammy skin and torn jeans. Watching intently as the last candle begins to burn to the bottom. It has no smell. Has no peace or calmness. The dwindled flame barely lights the dead dove a few feet in front of him. 

Once the candle has finally gone out Jack inhales sharply at the sudden realization of what he's done. He knows he can't back out, there's no reason to back out. Except maybe fear. That this isn't something he should've meddle with in desperation. 

He's about to question the ritual, when the flames of all the candles rekindle. The room is lit up again, but it's not the same. There is no circle, no dead bird, no blood. Even his hands and clothes are clean. All that's left is the circle of candles surrounding him. 

"The fuck?" The Irishman exclaims quietly, feeling a sudden chill of uneasiness in his stomach. 

"The fuck, indeed, Mr. Mcloughlin," a deep voice says behind him. 

Jack nearly jumps out of his skin before whipping around to see the stoic looking man leaning against his counter. No. Not man. His eyes burn a bright red against dark hollow sockets, and a set of onyx featured horns curl around his pointed ears. A demon. 

"I-it worked?" Jack whispers to himself in bewilderment. Standing slowly and calmly as possible he faces the demon.

"Fuck yeah, it worked. Reason why little shits like you don't need to be messing with such dark magic," he flicks a sharp pointed claw at the smaller man as he speaks, "But since I'm here, and you wasted a poor pigeon to summon me, what's your game, sweetheart?"

He saunters around the room looking at the almost empty apartment with a pointed tail swishing behind him, "Let me guess... money? Wealth as far as the eye can see?"

Jack doesn't speak as the demon looks at the empty walls and lack of furniture, "Nah, this place is purposely like this. Is it love? Want me to strike a dame with cupids' arrow?" He smirks and waggles an eyebrow at Jack.

Jack's still not sure how to talk to him. The creature's intimadating with his charm and ability to rip Jack's soul from his very body. He'd think the demon would dress a little more, oh you know, demonic?? The tight black t-shirt with fitted jeans and boots isn't exactly what Jack expected. 

"Well?!" The smaller man's attention snaps back to the bright red eyes as he gestures for an explanation, "What the fuck do you want, you leprechaun? "

Jack can't help but wince at the angered tone in his voice. This isn't what he was prepared for. 

"I want to be forgotten," Jack finally mutters, "I don't want anyone to remember me when I'm gone. Especially family and friends."

The demon's expression changes to something of pity, "Oh I see! So you want to spare your loved ones from mourning and grieving? Fair enough," he runs his hand through his locks of fiery red hair as he thinks to himself, "But, uh, you know you're kind of a little mixed up. Either way, with suicide, you're in hell no matter what."

"I-I know," Jack can feel his lip quiver at the thought of his parents and siblings burying him, "It's worth it if they don't have to suffer." 

He looks intently at Jack. Looks him up and down, before pulling a onyx dagger from his boot that Jack didn't even notice. 

The fear strikes up in the Irishman and he turns into a quivering shaking mess, but he doesn't move from his spot as the creature approaches him. 

"Aw, baby, don't be scared," he presses his clawed hand at Jack's throat and the airway is immediately cut off, "Is that your final wish?"

Jack can feel the blood rushing to his face as he begins to have trouble breathing, but he nods with determination to finish what he started. 

The demon presses the razor sharp tip of the blade right above Jack's heart, enough to rip a hole and place a thin red line before stopping in his tracks. His sharp grip loosens enough for the smaller man to gasp in air. 

"Actually," the blade is pulled away for a moment, "before I gut you like a sheep, I wanna know why? Since how once you're sent to hell I won't ever see your cute face again. I want to know why this is going to happen to you, Jack" 

The question catches Jack off guard. He stares at the demon wildly at the call of his name, and it surprisingly looks calm and peaceful, waiting for an answer. 

"I've just.. always been alone. I never felt like I belonged here. In this world. On this planet. I've been thinking about this for almost a decade," Jack feels the clawed thumb gently caress the side of his neck and he strangely feels slightly warm, "I just never asked to be here. And I didn't want to waste anyone's time anymore. I'm just not meant to be happy. "

"Sad," the demon pats the blade against Jack's cheek, leaving little red lines where the side of the blade hits, "But don't you worry, Dark will take good care of you."

Before Jack can register his name, the blade is pressed fully and easily through the man's breastbone. It cuts like butter through skin, bone and cartilage, until through all the quick pain, Jack feels the very tip against the front vein of his heart. It's happening too quickly to feel Dark gently stroking Jack's cheek as unknown tears stream down his face. 

Jack can very clearly see his family in his head. His mom and dad making small talk while his older siblings fought. He can see Felix and Marzia through the skype window of his laptop. There's Christmas when he got spyro and digimon, there's the time he climbed the highest tree in his field and he felt like a free king.

And then everything started slipping away. Everything was black, and the last thing he can see is an enraged Dark yelling profanities as the Irishman laid on the ground. 

"What the fuck is this, a trick?!" He yells through the thick black void Jack's trapped in. 

Jack feels himself bleeding out in the void. All the life draining slowly from him, as he lay in a growing puddle of his own blood. Just like the dove. 

《》


	2. Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angels and reapers and really bad timing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written so incoherently at work so I apologize but I feel the need to update it

  
Jack didn't know how long it must've been before he woke up. It felt like days, maybe weeks. Not really knowing what to expect when he first opened his eyes, but it wasn't this. A vast gray wasteland. No sunlight, no breeze, no fresh air. Just ashes and dust of a past life. Post-apocalyptic scenery surrounding him; abandoned buildings, cracked roads, scraps of signs and vehicles littered everywhere. 

After finally being able to pick himself up, he realize he wasn't alone. The familiar looking demon doesn't say anything to Jack at first, but he notices the sharp glare Dark gives him.

"You finally awake yet?" Dark grumbles as Jack adjusts to standing. 

His body feels heavy and weak, every joint and muscle aching as he moved, "What happened?"

"You tell me, huh?" He snarls angrily at the smaller man, "Something went wrong with our arrangement. Very wrong."

Jack stares at him blankly, "I thought all you had to do was take my soul?"

"A demon can't take a soul if it's already been taken," His tail twitches furiously, "You seemed to forget to fill me in on those details."

"But I've never made any other deals involving my soul. You were the first." 

He chuckles, "I'm charmed to be the first, sweetheart, but this isn't something you fucking play around with. Now we're stuck here until the demon that owns your soul shows up." 

Dark turns away from Jack and scans the area," Whoever it is, isn't going to be too happy with either of us." 

Jack can tell he's nervous, and thinking about it begins to make him worry. There's definitely more dangerous demons out there than Dark. He may have killed him and tried to take his soul, but he didn't do it as torturous as Jack thought he would. 

"Where are we again?" Jack asks quietly. 

"To you, Limbo. To demons, Purgatory," the demon sighs heavily, "A place where the soul isn't allowed to heaven or hell until Death decides." 

"You mean like the Grim Reaper?" The Irishman ask hesitantly. There's an urge to move closer to Dark at the thought of Death himself being here to take Jack, but the tension between the two of them subsides it. 

"Yes. Except to the average mortals' knowledge, there is only one. But there is actually two," he holds up two fingers to emphasize. 

What. Jack stares in confusion. 

"Yeah, pretty wild to you guys," he laughs, "There's one that transports people to heaven and one that takes you to hell."

That's a surreal thought but it makes sense, in a way. Jack quirks up again, "So does he wear the black robe and carry a sythe?"

"What a stereotypical thing to say," Dark rolls his eyes towards him, "But, no, they don't. Usually." 

Jack chuckles to himself. Usually? The thought of a gruesome skeleton showing up in a clean-cut suit and tie comes to mind. He guesses that makes sense for modern society. But a robe wearing, sythe-wielding skeleton sounds cooler to him. 

Before Jack can ask another question about it, there's a strong breeze that picks up. 

"Fucking finally!" Dark exclaims, " I thought we'd be here for etern-"

His words cut short as he stares towards the cause of the breeze. From the look on his face, it's not a good sign. Jack can't see much due to the wind and dust, but he can see a ring of light not too far from them. There's a flash of bright blue light and the wind suddenly dies down. 

"Fuck me," Dark quietly whispers. 

Jack can now see what the big deal is. Not far from them is a tall figure. Not just any tall figure though. A tall man with a large set of white wings. 

"D-Do demons have wings like that?" Jack asks as they both stare in shock.

"No," Is all he says as the man walks towards them. 

He's not a very intimadating man. Wearing a dark gray shirt with black pants and tall boots, a wild untamed mane of brown curly hair underneath a barely visable ring of blue. Jack guesses it's a halo. Which means that he's an angel. Which means...

He stops short a couple yards from the two when he sees the Irishman. 

"Helloooo," he chimes with a kind smile, "I'm Avidan. Who are you and why are you trying to take my humans' soul?"

Dark turns pale and he opens up his mouth but nothing comes out. His thoughts racing for answers. 

"Yeah, you see, it's against our rules to be doing such a thing." Avidan's eyes narrow at the demon. The kind smile forced around the almost threatening words. 

"H-he summoned me," Dark finally manages to stutter, "A deal in exchange for his soul."

Avidan finally looks towards Jack with bright brown eyes. There's a hint of sadness as he speaks, "You summoned a demon?"

Jack's put on the spot as they stare questioningly at him. He feels the nervousness settle in his stomach as he tries to answer. 

"I-I.. yes, I did," he mumbles quietly, "but I didn't know anyone else owned my soul but me." 

The angel doesn't say much. He sighs and runs a hand through his mess of hair, "Fair enough."

The silence is stiff between them. Dark's still nervous as he twitches his tail while Avidan seems to be lost in thought.

Finally Avidan speaks up, "To tell you truth, your soul is kind of rare. You see, every few centuries a soul is born with the inability to pass on to the gates of heaven or hell. We call it a corrupted soul, since we obviously suck at naming things." He trail off.

Dark let's out a frustrated groan, "Well that's fucking great. Now what do I do?"

Avidan raises an eyebrow, "I take it you haven't heard about these situations? Demons usually end up learning about them when they've been in hell for awhile." 

"Only been here for about 200 years," Dark mumbles bashfully.

Wow. Jack's starting to question whether or not he was lucky with summoning Dark. He didn't seem like the type of demon to be making deals and taking souls. Yeah, he wasn't as cruel, but shouldn't he have been?

Avidan sighs, "Well, this will be fun. "

He lifts his hand and a white line of smoke begins to drift from it. 

"So, unfortunately we have to settle this with the our 'bosses'," he informs Dark as the smoke begins to thicken, "and I don't think yours will be too happy with this. Unless this is your first time messing up a deal with a soul."

Dark's eyes widen and he thinks back to the couple dozen times he messed up in the past, "Oh.. Well about that. Me and uh.. Satan don't get along too well so is there like any course of action that avoids him in general?"

Avidan laughs, "You, my foe, are fucked, unfortunately."  
That wasn't comforting.

He suddenly throws the smoke on the ground and it acts as a solid object. Swirling up the sand and dust around it, only growing larger.

Jack stands in awe as the cloud of smoke begins to shape itself until a human form appears through it. The white fumes gaining color and texture before actually turning solid. 

With a quick flap of Avidan's large wings, the remaining smoke is blown away leaving the body of a shorter man. There's no wings or horns or inhumanly features. Just a man with bright green eyes, dark brown hair, and a scruff of facial hair.

"Hey Barry, I need you to inform God of our little mishap here." Avidan quickly tells the man. 

Barry turns on his heel and looks at the two in front of them. His eyes landing on Jack.

"Well, shit, I haven't seen one of these in a while." He exclaims, grinning widely at the smaller man who just stares back blankly. 

Jack is at a loss of words for all this. He just wanted to be forgotten. To never have his friends and family mourn over him. To have peace when he was gone. Was that too much to ask for? 

Dark still seems to be horribly uncomfortable, Jack notices. His tail is flicking back and forth at an insane speed and hes repeatedly clicking his claws together. 

Barry turns his attention back to Avidan, "What about good ole Satan?"

"Well, once- Wait, what's your name again?" Avidan suddenly asks the demon.

Dark jumps slightly at the question,"Uh D-Dark." Jeez, was he jittery. 

"Ah," Avidan nods, "Whenever he gets their Reaper to tell him."

Dark shoots Jack a worried look before composing himself enough to 'summon' Hell's Reaper. 

His process is different. It's just a snap of the fingers and a quick ungodly word before there's a circle with rune symbols. And up comes a stern looking man. He's older with peppered gray hair and tired blue eyes but mainly, he has the most prominent glare on his features. One that could probably burn someone if he looked long enough. 

"Brian!!!" Barry yells excitedly, "Long time no see buddy." 

'Brian' ignores Barry attempt to high five him and stands still with his arms crossed over his chest. He examines the crowd before his glare stops on Dark. 

"Oh, wonderful!" he says almost venomously, "What has Dingus done this time?" 

Dark lowers his head in shame refusing to make eye contact with Hell's Reaper. 

Jack can't help but to feel bad. Was Dark really that bad at being a demon? He had the intimadating look but all the Irishman has seen since he died has been a bashful.. well, loser. 

"Corrupted soul of the century," Avidan chirps and gestures to Jack, "Dark tried dealing it."

Brian let's out a long irritated sigh,"Of course he would. I'll be back."

Within an instant he's gone, disappearing into his circle on the ground. 

It takes less than minute for him to be back, accompanied by an actual demon. 

This is what Jack expected a demon to look like. Large spiraled horns, flaming magenta eyes, long lithe tail, and of course, deadly scaled wings. He had long brown hair with a single streak of blond, and a mustache and goatee, which kind of made his scowling features more prominent. 

"Dark." He growled lowly.

Dark was nearly shaking but tried flashing a weak smile, "H-hey, Boss!"

Boss? As in Satan? The longer Jack looked over the other demon, the more obvious it was. That definitely had to be Satan. He was clad with a dark set of light armor marked with many runes and glyphs, and an onyx sword (similar to Dark's dagger) hung from his side. 

Jack's immediate reaction was to take a step back, which only gained the attention from the devil.

 


	3. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I kinda actually feel bad for making Arin satan but i kinda like it.

  
"So you're this millennial's corrupted soul," his scowl changed into a small smile which was very unsettling.

Jack just nodded. He was honestly feeling sick. Everything was happening at a strange pace in an even stranger way. One minute he was scared of Dark, now he feels sorry for him. Avidan is an angel of God but acts just as ungodly as Dark did. There's too much on Jack's mind. He literally was ready to be dead, whether it meant being sent to hell or not. Just ceasing to exist felt nice right now. To get away from this total mindfuck that was happening in front of him. 

"Arin, please, I didn't kno-" Dark tries defending himself but immediately silences himself when orange eyes shoot him a side glare, "Don't say my name."

Barry and Avidan stand silently to the side observing everything happening. Barry was used to seeing Arin. Reapers generally go where they please. To Hell, to Heaven, to Limbo, even sometimes roaming Earth's realm just to find places to hang out. They were very chill beings. The ability to freeze time whenever they moved was a very handy ability when it came down to it. 

But Avidan on the other hand hadn't been around this specific 'Satan'. Truth be told, the biblical principles of these realms were far more different than any religion had in mind. The 'Thrones' being replaceable if needed.(Or taken, in Hell's case.) The old Devil was an extremely cruel being. Any demon in his way would've been wiped clean from existence. But since this one is new to the angel, there really isn't any say in whether or not he's just as cruel, or even more so. To take the throne of the last one, though, it'd take more than any strength a demon had to offer. 

Man, Dark really was fucked. Avidan almost feels pity. Almost. 

"How have you not learned anything in almost 200 years?" Arin asks through clenched teeth, "A demon that can't fly, can't learn a single curse, and now can't even do his job!?"

Arin has approached Dark, leering down at him. His clawed hand gripping the golden handle of his sword. 

Jack's heart is racing. All he asked for was death. Just death. How many demons, angels, and reapers does it take to do one little job. Yeah, so what he's got a 'special' soul. Who gives a fuck? He just wanted one thing. 

"S-sir, I will fix this. I swea-" the sword is brought out quickly. The blade sweeping in one quick motion across Dark's head and then gently sheathed once more. 

The hollow scream followed stops Jack's heart entirely. Before he can register what just happened, he is running to Dark. 

"Stop!" Jack screams up at the taller figure, standing in between the demon sunken to the ground and the sword wielding devil. 

Avidan has to stop himself from grabbing onto the human, but God gave man free will for a reason. And if this is what Jack wanted to do then it was his choice, especially in Limbo. Dumb choice, really.

Arin surprisingly does stop, though, stepping aside to fully look at the green haired man, "You got a lot of guts, kid, but that's my demon and I'm tired of cleaning up his mess."

The devil barks the last part out as he attempts to move Jack with glaring eyes, but the human pushes him away. 

"No, he's not!" Jack screamed, "I summoned him. I used a dove and killed it to summon Dark. So until that deal is complete then he's mine."

Jack had never felt so rushed with adrenaline. He just defended the demon that was going to take his soul. IS going to take his soul. 

Arin stares down at him with raised eyebrows. He frowns for a split second before shining his set of sharp fangs in a grin, "Well, actually kid, you make a wonderful point."

Everyome seems to stare in shock, even Brian for a split second. 

He saunters back over to Hell's Reaper, resting his elbow on the other's shoulder, "He's all yours until he gets your soul. Until then, you're stuck with him. Since I don't want him to cause any more problems in hell and what not, and trust me he does a lot of damage."

"Fine!" Is all Jack says before leaning down to the huddled up Dark, whose gripping his head where the horn used to be. 

Arin smirks at them before nodding to Brian to send them back. 

"Wait! That's it?" Avidan suddenly asks, "We have to figure out what to do with his soul. It can't just be left like this in Limbo."

Arin rolls his eyes dramatically before staring blankly at Avidan, "Listen, sweetheart, it's not my problem anymore. Dark isn't my demon, he's the kid's. Until that changes, I'm not concerned. Besides, I'm sure God would love to deal with this. I mean, you 'Holy Ones' love to spare souls, right?"

Avidan's quiet. He glances back at Jack whose looking over the bloodied demon. He has good in him, the angel can tell just from looking, but he knows the human has suffered because of the corrupted soul. Living a life he felt wasn't his. Up to the point where he summoned a demon in desperation to spare his loved ones the pain. He has to have good in him. 

"You're right." Avidan turns to Barry, "Get God. Let her decide."

Wait, her? Jack looks up to them from his crouched position, "Did you just say God was a girl?"

Avidan sighs, "Yes. For the fifth time, things are different than human religious beliefs."

Barry is engulfed with swirling white smoke and quickly evaporates within it. Leaving Jack in shock.

If everything that humans believed was wrong, how come there was no sign of the right path? None of the things Jack witnessed today was of anything he'd ever heard of from any religion. 

Jack's brought back from his thoughts to Barry swirling back to the realm in smoke, with probably the most purest being he's ever seen. 

Long black hair with a bright streak of blonde, aqua blue eyes, pale skin, and the most comforting of smiles. She's dressed in a white sundress painted with light blue flowers, thin bracelets of silver on each wrist, and small white wings folded neatly to her back. 

She looks intently at Jack and her smile grows fonder, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. McLoughlin."

Her voice is so warm and kind, Jack can't stop himself from also smiling, "Hi, God?"

Arin immediately perks up at the sight of the Goddess of Heaven, "Well, hello, lovely."

She gives the devil one quick glance before turning her attention back to Jack, "You may call me Suzy. I've been watching what you've had to go through here lately, and I'm sorry that you're in this situation."

Arin huffs and mutters an 'ok then' as he was obviously ignored.

"Ah, it's ok. I kind of asked for this, I guess." Jack answers while still holding up the wounded demon. Dark was honestly really heavy, but for some reason he just couldn't let him go. 

Suzy turns to Avidan who is watching Arin with cold eyes, "I don't want them staying here."

"Wait, them?" Avidan asks looking down at her with wide eyes, "You're going to save the demon too!?"

Suzy nods with a reassuring smile, "It'll be good for the corrupted soul. And since the demon can't return to Hell, he might as well stay with Jack." 

Avidan throws his hands up in defeat as he begrudgingly agrees. It's not like he can really argue. 

"Anything I can do for you?" Arin pipes in with a charming smile. 

Suzy acknowledges him this time, "Yes. You can leave. You're no longer needed now that the demon has been taken care of. Thank you." 

She says kindly but her voice is nearly venomous, shooting a glare at him. 

Arin frowns but nods humbly, "Of course, lovely."

With that, Brian transports them back to Hell through the summoning circle, that quickly vanishes once they're gone. 

"Well now, Jack," she says with a quick clap of her hands,"I don't want you staying in Limbo. You'd be a very easy target for another demon, but we can't send you back to Earth. Sadly, your body didn't survive."

Jack freezes, his hands tightly gripping the nearly unconscious demon's shirt. It catches him off guard. He was dead. Back home, his body is dead. This is what he wanted, right? No. Not this. He wanted to be forgotten. His family and friends. Fuck. 

"What about my friends and family? Do they know?" Jack has to hold back from practically yelling it. 

Suzy smiles but shrugs lightly, "Since your soul wasn't taken, the demon couldn't finish the deal. However, the deal is still there because he agreed to it. So, I'm afraid they do, but we're going to try to fix it."

Jack sits still, holding Dark up. The demons blood had flown from his broken horn and gashed open head, and was now dripping on Jack's arms and shirt.

He died for nothing. Made a deal with a demon for nothing. His family probably already heard the news. Fuck. Felix and Marzia would be hearing it soon too. His stomach filled with guilt at the thought. 

They'll be burying him. He can see Felix and Marzia dressed up and how Felix would remember all the all-nighters they pulled playing games endlessly. While his parents would cry and wish they'd have known. Wished they could've helped. 

He can't help the tears as they slip past his weary eyes. How he shakes trying to keep Dark up. The demon that fucked up. The reason he's here. 

Jack suddenly shoves Dark with all his might away from him, watching as he painfully lands on his back with a loud groan.

He hasn't even noticed Suzy leaned down next to him, "Sean.. Things don't always go as you plan. Don't blame him too much. And dont blame yourself too much. God works in mysterious ways."

Jack looks up at her through blurry teary eyes. She's got that warming smile and her wings are spread out, just lightly touching his back.

"They're going to h-hurt because of me." He hiccups out, "I just didn't want them to be sad because of me." 

"All will be better. Just give it time, love." She barely whispers. 

Jack can feel the tiredness flow through him and it takes him a couple seconds to realize it's not your average sleepiness. But her smile is warm to him and he can't help when his head falls to the side, laying against the tips of her wing. Suddenly, all he can feel are the soft feathers before his eyes give in the the sleepiness. 


	4. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A whole new realm and a shit ton of changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for this being such a shitty plotless writing but oh well

Jack woke abruptly to the sound of his alarm. 6am. He clumsily rolled over to shut it off before stretching every limb. He didnt feel as tired as he usually did, his eyes not fighting him to stay open.

He's making a mental note about the crazy ass dream he had as he climbs out of bed. Coffee is his main priority right now. 

The small apartment was a relieving sight to him for some reason. Bits and pieces of the dream come to mind as he walks into the kitchen. The old coffee pot was finishing off the last bit of coffee and Jack was quick to make him a mug. God he loved coffee. 

"I don't remember turning you on last night?" He says to the little appliance. He really couldn't remember. Actually, he didn't remember going to bed either. Maybe he had been drinking? It was Tuesday, though. Right? He doesn't drink on Tuesdays?

As he turns around he notices the man sitting silently at his kitchen table. Freezing in spot as he stares in shock. 

"Yeah, I turned the coffee pot on this morning," Avidan says, sipping on his own cup of coffee. 

Avidan? The angel? The dream?

"This isn't a dream." Is all Jack mutters while his hands shake uncontrollably around his mug. 

"Afraid not." Avidan replies. He smiles somberly at the Irishman, "At least you remember all the stuff from yesterday, right?"

Jack's still shaking but he nods. Dealing his soul, the Reapers, Satan, God. He remembers all of it clearly, now knowing it wasn't a dream. 

"Good. So, you know you're in the spirit realm. Which is basically the same thing as your realm, but without living beings. Only souls are here." The angel rambles as he sips coffee. 

Jack just stands there with shakey hands and a worried look. He carefully sits his mug on the counter. Only souls? He glances out the kitchen window perched above the sink. It's gray and cloudy outside, but nothing seems unusual. A few cars driving by every now and then. 

"I don't much care for coffee but this is pretty good," Avidan mumbles before drinking the last of it, "Anyway, you'll see strange creatures every once in a while. They're generally friendly but don't associate with many of them. Oh! Speaking of creatures, you'll also see angels and demons here. They're not typical angels and demons though. Some have been banished or exiled and some give up their jobs to live in peace, kind of like retirement. Though some with high power just like to visit here. This place is where our truces happen with demons and what not."

Avidan is just rambling now, not really paying attention if the human is listening or not. He's probably recited this before. Going on about the creatures and souls wandering around in this realm. Things are moving so fast. He literally woke up less than five minutes ago. Can he at least let his brain wake up before he's drowned in more information. 

Jack listens intently though, until the mention of demons. He's reminded of Dark. Wasn't he supposed to come with him? 

"Uh, Avidan?" Jack interrupts the angels' rambling,"What about Dark?"

Avidan rolls his eyes, "Oh right, 'Dork'."

With a swift movement, Avidan stands and stretches. Jack notices the lack of wings, which makes the angel look smaller and lankier. It's probably an ability they have since Dark didn't have his own wings. But Arin also said he was a demon that couldn't fly? All these unanswered questions gave Jack a headache. 

"He's in the living room on the couch. I healed up his bloody head, but can't really do much for the broken horn." He speaks quickly as he makes his way to the living room with Jack not far behind. 

There Dark was, in all his evil glory, sprawled out across the couch lightly snoring. He had a bandage on top of his head and was wearing baggy pajamas. 

"He is a heavy motherfucker." Avidan says standing in front of the couch. 

Dark mumbles something in his sleep and his forked tongue pokes slightly out if his mouth. 

Jack grins. Cute. Wait, no. Not cute. He feels his cheeks grow hot at his own mental comment. 

"I'm starting to think Satan was right," Avidan says, peering over the demon, "he's not much demon material, to be honest."

The two watch the sleeping creature for a minute before Jack asks,"So, what do I do with him again?"

Avidan scratches the back of his head, hair fluffing even more as he scrunches his nose a little,"Well, Suzy said it'd be good for you to have, like a companion while you're here, I guess. You just gotta help him get better."

Jack stares at Dark. So he would be his companion until things were taken care of? That doesn't seem too bad. Although, he never really got the chance to see him not involved in his job. How did a demon even act when not doing their job?

"Uh, is there any precautions in hanging around a demon?" Jack asks worriedly. He was still looking at Dark as his mind began to wonder the future situations.

Avidan put his hands on his hips, one eyebrow raised, "Well, yeah. There's plenty. Don't get stabbed, maimed, burned, eaten, or poisoned. Actually, just don't die, okay?"

The look on Jack's face must of said it all because the angel chuckled lightly, "Listen, you saved his life. I don't think he's going to be too much of a problem, if not just plain annoying. Besides, Suzy said it would help and I'm positive she wouldn't set you up to die like this."

Jack thinks it over. He's probably right. An eye for an eye, right? But didn't he want that? Wasn't that what they were trying to fix?

"Wait. Isn't death what I want?" He's mainly asking himself but Avidan nods sadly.

"Yeah, but you're in the spirit realm and your specific soul won't let you die here. You'll just go through a horrible amount of pain before blacking out and waking up in the same condition. I mean, you'll heal quicker here, but shits still gonna hurt."

All this realm nonsense is confusing as hell. Sure, Jack regrets killing himself, (well, letting Dark kill him) but can't things be a little less complicated?

Dark suddenly yawns, groaning and stretching as far as his hands can reach. Jack's heart stops for a second before the demon gets more comfortable before continuing his sleep. Jack was going to be living with a demon he was partially scared of. Great. 

"Yep," Avidan pipes up, "Well, you're all set buddy. If you need me, just call."

The angel turns to walk away but Jack quickly grabs his arm, "Wait, what do I do here? How do I call for you?"

Avidan smiles warmly, "You're just waiting. This world won't bother you much. The town is still the same. You can go get food or just go places. Oh! And you have to pray to call me. Just sat my name before you pray." 

Praying wasn't Jack's thing. Neither was religion honestly. Especially now that he'd seen so much of the real religion. Even though it was an insane fucked up religion, he was still living through it. Not like he could change that. 

Avidan puts his hand on Jack's shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze, "Everything will be fine. You got this."

The human takes a deep breath before nodding. He didn't like change. And this was way beyond change. Besides the familiar apartment, nothing was the same. 

Avidan says his goodbye and with the familiar white puff of smoke, he's gone.

Jack spends most of his day checking on Dark and looking outside from the small chair in the corner of his livingroom. The creatures living in this world were phenomenal. From large beasts with extra limbs to small creatures with wings. Some walk on two legs, some on four or more, and some even slither. They're all black shadowy creatures with orb-like eyes with a range of every color known to man. 

Jack enjoys watching them. There's not a lot through this part of town but they seem very intriguing. Every once in while there's an angel or demon that'll walk by. He sees some of the dark creatures talk to each other, every once in a while, they'll open their jaws to laugh. He wonders if they speak English, or if it's some strange language they're talking in. 

Watching them makes him notice little things. Like how all the color in this world is faded. The house across the street that used to shine bright yellow on earth, is now a dull grayish yellow. The sky is a murky blue, as well, covered in an array of dark clouds.

Jack's wondering how dangerous it would be go out in this world, when he hears the muffled groan behind him. He turns to see Dark holding his own head and slowly sitting up. 

He touches tenderly at the bandages, wincing a little, "What the fuck?"

Jack smiles wryly, "What the fuck indeed, Sir Dark."

Dark looks up at Jack, and the instant their eyes meet, staring questioningly at the other with vibrant red eyes. 

At least him and Dark have color, Jack thinks to himself, before getting up to attend to the grouchy demon. It made them seem less nonexistent, he thinks. A touch of life. 

Walking up to Dark, he asks,"How are you feeling?"

Dark watches him with uneasy eyes before mumbling back,"Like shit. What the hell is going on?"

Jack scratches the back of his neck. He doesn't know how much the demon remembers, but he honestly doesn't feel like repeating everything Avidan told him. 

"Long story short: we're in the spirit realm waiting for answers from God and Avidan." He says quickly. 

Dark just stares at him for a moment before looking at the ground with a sigh,"Well fuck."

"Yeah," Jack says awkwardly, "Do you want some coffee or tea?"

Dark looks up and nods quickly,"Tea would be fine."

Jack was honestly starting to question the nature of a demon. Were they all like this or was Dark really that different. He didn't seem violent or cruel, maybe a little unsure of things. It was actually a little relieving, to say the least. The human wasn't instantly killed, so that was a good start. 

He keeps thinking to himself as he heads into the kitchen to find the tea kettle and tea bags. Paying no mind to the demon following him, he puts the water in the kettle and puts it on the stove top. 

"Uh, Jack?" Dark asks, leaning against the table where Avidan sat hours ago. 

The Irishman looks over and hums a curious tune. The other is looking at him almost humbly. 

"Thank you. For y'know, saving me and all," Dark says, gaze falling to the floor. 

At first, Jack thinks he's joking, but when he sees the light blush across Dark's face, he realizes he's not. 

"Dude, no problem. I mean, everyone probably thinks I'm fucking crazy for it," Jack rambles nervously as he gets a mug from the cupboard,"but I just couldn't just stand there and watch you die."

He pours the boiling water in the cup, watching the tea bag swirl around. It wasn't like he was completely lying. True, he didn't want to watch him die, but he also kind of enjoyed being around him. Maybe it was because Dark was after his soul, or he was suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Or maybe he was just an idiot. That sounded more believable. 

Jack added a couple teaspoons of sugar before stirring it quickly and turning to hand it to the demon. 

"Besides, I'd hate to be left alone again waiting for death." He whispers as Dark's black claws grip at the dull green mug.

Dark smiles fondly at the tea before taking a quick sip and saying, "Of course we wouldn't want that."

They share a quick smile and Jack finds it oddly soothing. Almost like Dark meant it. He probably didn't, and was just manipulating Jack's emotions. It was still nice to feel it, though. To feel something.


	5. Shadowy Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week in the apartment of a banished demon and corrupted soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez this is getting so much harder to stay on track. A jumbled mess of plot. Less septiplier more Jack being a doof

The days go by slowly for Jack. He spends most his time observing. The outside creatures fascinate him quite a bit, but he generally focuses on Dark, who acts like a normal person majority of the time. Sometimes, not so much. 

It isn't until Jack cooks that he realizes how strange this demon's life is.

Boiling spaghetti noodles over the stove, he notices Dark hovering behind him. Only a few inches from him, watching the noodles soften in the bubbly water. His head had completely healed but the horn was still broken and a tad sensitive, making him tilt his head a little more. He has a blank expression, as if he's never seen anything like it before. 

"Dude, what're you looking at?" Jack finally asks as he goes to a cupboard for a strainer.

Dark barely notices the movement and continues to stare at the pan of boiling noodles.

"Have you never seen spaghetti before or something?" Jack says returning to his spot. 

Dark shakes his head 'no', before following Jack to watch the noodles be strained. Watching the pasta steam, eyes fixed to the starchy food, he licks his lips. 

"What? How is that even possible. Spaghetti is awesome." Jack's exclaims as he begins to mix the noodles with his favorite tomato sauce in a bowl set to the side. 

"Don't eat a lot in hell." Dark says in a monotonous voice, never letting his eyes leave the spaghetti, "Is it good?"

"Only the best!" Jack shouts before getting the demon a bowlfull and handing it to him. 

Dark states at it for a minute before taking it to the table while Jack prepares a bowl himself. He honestly wasn't hungry. He couldn't feel it anyways. It just felt strange to him not to eat atleast every day. So he decided to find something simple to make. He wasn't the best cook, but he understood the basics of it. And there was no argument to simple spaghetti. 

He turns around to join Dark at the table, only to find the demon right behind him with an empty bowl and excited grin.

"It's really good. Is there more?" He asks with hungry eyes. 

Jack laughs and fixes him another bowl. Dark was beginning to be good company after all. He wasn't as violent as Jack thought he'd be. 

He watched Dark inhale another bowl like a starved dog. The thought suddenly making more sense. If Dark wasn't a good demon, he probably didn't fit in well with other demons. 

"How come you don't eat a lot?" Jack asks taking a bite of his food, trying to sound nonchalant. 

Dark freezes for moment before continuing to eat and mutters through a mouthful,"Didn't have food."

Jack doesn't want to call him out on it, but he gets it. He's probably dealt with enough, as it is. 

"Well," he says, twirling up noodles with his fork, "as long as you're here, you will have food every day."

Dark looks up with wide eyes. He stares down at the bowl before quietly mumbling, "Thanks."

It probably meant more to Dark than Jack realized. That this would be the closest thing to home, since the demon wasn't allowed back unless he had the unobtainable soul. 

Jack brushes the thoughts off as he finishes off the last few bites. He can't believe he was able to eat the entire thing without actually being hungry. It was strange but a little satisfying. 

\---

Avidan stops by on the fourth day, magically appearing at the kitchen table like last time. 

Jack wasn't expecting it, like usual. Groggily walking into the kitchen that morning for coffee, to find it already made. 

"Made coffee again." Avidan reassures him after catching the confused look on the human's face. 

Jack almost jumped out of his skin with a loud yelp, "Fuck!! Why'd you have to appear out of fucking nowhere?!"

The angel laughed lightly, "My bad."

Dark was quick to enter the kitchen, only to see the angel and tense up. His tail flicked furiously and he let a low growl escape from his throat. 

"Hey, hey, I'm a good guy, remember?" Avidan joked lightly, obviously showing no fear for the demon, "Just came to check up on you guys."

Dark quiets himself before throwing Jack a stern look. He leans against the doorway and folds his arms across his chest, slightly puffing up. 

"We're doing fine," Jack mumbles, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Sleep was so much nicer without dreams. It was good solid sleep that no one wanted to wake up from. 

"Good!" Avidan chirps, "Have any problems with Dark?"

"Well, actu-"

"No! We're getting along fine." Dark cuts Jack off almost defensively. 

Avidan looks at the red haired demon before looking towards Jack for reassurance. 

"Yeah, we're getting along well. As long as I feed him, at least."

"Well, that's good, I guess." Avidan says with a confused look towards Dark. 

Dark only bared his sharp teeth in a crooked grin at the angel, who didn't much agree with it. But he let it slide.

They talked about a few things. Discussing the town and how Jack should stay far away from shadow creatures, which Dark even agreed profusely. He also said that when they leave the property, that the demon always be with him. Jack didn't understand why, but he guessed it had a lot to do with his lack of knowledge with this world, so he agreed.

Avidan's halo glowed brightly a few times, and he informed them he was needed somewhere. This time he barely waved a goodbye before he was gone. 

\- --

At the end of the week, Jack decided it was time to get groceries. Dark argued until the mention of new meals, and then he was totally up for going. 

Thankfully, the little shop wasn't far from his apartment, so it wasn't that much of a hassle to walk. Dark glared and growled at any soul that got too close, but wouldn't dare do so to any of the creatures. 

Jack just stared in awe at them. One holding the shop door open for them gave him a sharp-toothed grin and he couldn't contain himself from excitedly thanking it. Dark practically cowered under the gaze of the creature, and pulled Jack along quickly. 

The creatures weren't all as nice as that one. Some silently hissed and growled the closer the two got to them. Dark kept a firm grip on Jack's arm throughout the entire trip, pulling him away when one of the beasts gave a warning. 

Majority of the other souls, including the angels and demons, stayed far from them. Showing complete and humble respect for them, as if they were gods. The creatures weren't prideful in any sense, always patient and showing fair manners. No one could get too close though, they were very fond of their personal space. 

"Why are they like that?" Jack asked as they carried the few bags down the block to his apartment. 

"They've existed long before angels or demons have been around. Apparently they're the ones who created heaven and hell, or some shit." Dark says adjusting the bags around his wrist, "They're the most powerful things in all the worlds, millions of them spread out across the realms, and they chose not to overthrow it all."

Jack listens intently as they approach the apartment, but suddenly gets lost at the sight of the large owl-like shadow creature sitting on the front porch of the little yellow house across from them. It's large silvery eyes watching his every move as it holds an open book in one hand. 

Before Dark can notice he's not paying attention, Jack waves joyfully to the owl beast, ignoring every warning he's heard that week. It's eyes widen in shock before it smiles with its strange beak-like mouth. It raises it large black feathered arm and waves back, reflecting Jack's enthusiasm. 

When Jack turns to head to the front door, Dark is glaring at him. 

"What?" The Irishman asks defensively.

The demon only shakes his head and waits for Jack to unlock the door. 

"They can't be that bad. That one even waved back!" He says as he pushes the door open. 

Dark looks over at the creature, her eyes locked onto him almost mesmerized. It sends chills through his body as he hurriedly gets inside. 

"You have no idea." He whispers, mainly to himself.


	6. No time for sleeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions and information, at its weakest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally write on this every night at work and it messes with my concentration so I hope this isn't too messy

The next morning while Jack sipped on his large mug of coffee, there was a firm rap on the door. Dark looked up from his bowl of cereal on the kitchen table, giving the human a confused look. 

They said nothing to each other as they both left their morning routine to answer the door. No one had come to their door before. Avidan just appeared whenever and he was the only one to visit. Not like anyone in this world wanted much to do with them anyways. 

Dark was right on Jack's heels as the smaller man opened the door, the demon immediately jumping back a couple feet at the sight of the shadow owl on the doorstep. 

"Hi!" Jack said, full of excitement as Dark stayed feet away from the door at what was lurking on the other side. 

It was a lot larger than Jack realized. Standing a near 7 ft tall, with a broad feathery chest, and strong taloned feet. The thick arms were more like wings with feathered fingers, it's beak was a glittery silver along with the definition of its eyebrows. There was a white scarf wrapped around its neck and silver rings looped through both pointed ears. It's tail was spread with its feathers fanned out to barely drag against the floor. It was a very majestic creature, Jack thought.

It lifted it's arm and waves lightly, giving a small smile.

"My name's Jack!" He beamed at the incredibly elegant creature.

It eyed Dark a moment before speaking in a soothing feminine voice, "My name's Cecille. It's nice to meet you."

Her mouth didn't move to the words, almost like an extra telepathic sense. The large silver eyes examined the irishman and she smiled warmly. 

"That's a pretty name. What can I do for you?" Jack asked as Dark began grabbing at his arm to pull him away. He shooshed the demon away before looking back at Cecille.

"I would like to show you something. If you're interested?" She asked leaning down to be eye level with him. "You seem very interested in my kind. I'd like to show you more."

Jack stared at her for a minute. The warnings about them came to mind but he was honestly very interested in them. He wanted to learn more about them. Not like he was scared of dying at the moment. 

"Yeah, ok." He finally said, not really sure with himself. 

"What?" Dark grabbed onto Jack's shoulder, pulling him back a little, "How many times do we have to tell you not to-"

"Not to what, Mr. Fischbach?" Her voice is soft but has an edge to it as she looks at Dark. Both suddenly still at her knowledge. 

The demon freezes and removes his hand from the human's shoulder. He doesn't say anything, only looks to his feet. More than likely out of humble fear. 

Jack can feel the red flag go off in his head, but damn his curiosity, "What did you want to show me?"

Cecille smiles sweetly once more and gestures them to follow. Dark is hesitant at first but decides he can't let Jack go alone, grumbling under his breath about a 'stupid leprechaun' as they go. 

She takes them across the street to her little faded yellow house. Jack remembers the couple that lived there: a lady and her friend that worked constantly while their two cats sat in the windows all day. They were nice when they weren't sleep deprived. He never really got to talk to them, though. 

The house is totally different than what Jack imagined it. Every wall had a bookshelf on it, filled to the brim with books. She had little furniture, mainly reading nooks and chairs set up near lamps or windows. There was an incense burner on every corner table that made the house smell like apple cinnamon.

In the main living area was a table with a large dusty book. It looked to be ancient, and Jack immediately knew he wanted to take a look. Dark, however, was visibly terrified. He had one hand gripping tightly to Jack's jacket and looked over everything with uneasy eyes. 

Cecille led them to the table and gestures them to sit at the two wooden chairs. Once they did she turned to a bookshelf and pulled a black leathered book from the top shelf. She opened it up to a certain page before handing to Jack, who eagerly began looking over it. 

"We're called Shades, by the way. We have the same kind of power that created the universe. Of courses, there's rules we're strictly abided to follow." Cecille sits across from them in a big chair speaking with a honey-like voice. 

Jack looks over the page. The language of the book is unknown to him, but the pictures show the shadow creatures - Shades -floating above the galaxies. It shows some with glowing eyes and hands performing levitation and something that looks like telekinesis. 

"Can you do these powers?" Jack asks, pointing to the picture. 

She smiled and nods, "Yes, but we can do more than you could imagine. I'm a fairly powerful Shade. I could could help you out with your problem."

Jack stares in amazement and ignores the grip tightening on his arm, barely noticing the claws tearing at his hoodie. 

He nods and hears Dark curse under his breath. Cecille smiles and takes the book from him, setting it aside. She opens the old dusty book on the table, flipping the pages gently until she finds the one she's looking for. It's a large book, it's pages filled with words of a strange language and Jack is intrigued by every page. 

"Your soul is corrupted. Thankfully, it's not to the point in which it will break," she says looking over Jack, "I can wake it."

Jack glances to the page in confusion, "What do you mean 'break'? What will waking it do?"

"A corrupted soul will break when it's ready to send the living host here, since they can't pass on." She gestures to the realm they're in before continuing. "You're not supposed to be here at all. Not until your soul's ready." 

She flips a page in the fragile book, "Although, waking it will allow your soul to get accustomed to this place and realize that you are no longer among the living. It may also help you to get to where you're going. A human doesn't technically need a soul to go to hell."

Dark has calmed enough to listen intently, interest peaking at the new knowledge, his hand still wrapped around Jack's arm. 

"So, I.. can die afterwards? Like fully?" Jack asks almost nervously. His thoughts immediately jump to a life in hell. Without Dark.

"Honey, you're as dead as it gets. Probably worse, honestly. Waking your soul will allow it to decide what it wants your afterlife to be. God wouldn't send you here unless that was her plan." Cecille leans back and watches the two ponder on the information. "I also think there is a very strong reason she wanted this demon to accompany you here."

The shade nods at Dark and Jack looks at him to see how tightly he's gripping his hoodie, and the confused look in his eyes. 

"What do you mean?" Jack finally asks quietly. 

"Well, God herself said that Dark wasn't meant to be a demon. Even Satan thinks so. But he's been by your side more than the angel who guards your very soul." She smiles for the first time at Dark. "That's too much loyalty for a demon."

Jack glances at Dark again and the demon gives him a unsure forced grin. He knows just as much as Jack does, apparently. 

Dark suddenly turns to the Shade, eyebrows furrowed, "How do you know all of this stuff?"

Cecille laughs lightly into her feathered hand, "Have you ever wondered why you were always taught to have nothing to do with Shades?" 

Dark shakes his head in response, shrugging his shoulders. 

"They tell all souls to never get involved with Shades because once you let a Shade see through you, it can read you. It can learn all about your life in a mere minute of eye contact. We don't like it ourselves. Not all of us wants to know everything about every soul that looks at you, but Jack's sleeping soul was the first thing I seen through his eyes."

She leans forward on one elbow and smiles almost lovingly, "And I couldn't stand back and watch the angels and demons mess this one up."

Jack only stares at her, trying to put together everything she's told him. He's trying desperately to think reasonably about this, but all he can think about is the demon clinging to him. Caring about him. Being deathly terrified of something and still staying by his side. Dark had done more for him in the past week than Avidan had done in Jack's entire life as far as he'd known. 

"I have to warn you though," Cecille interrupts his thoughts, "your soul has been asleep since you were born. When it wakes up, you will feel all the corrupted emotions and thoughts while it figures out what to do. You do not have to do this if you do not wish to."

Jack turns to the demon once more, "What do you think I should do?"

Dark's grip on his hoodie loosens, "I don't even know what to think anymore. But, it is your soul. I think you should do whatever you want with it, Jack."

The human's taken back a little by his comment. It was the first time anyone has told him it's his soul. To do whatever he wants with it. Yeah, it's broken and will be a totally different aspect on life. (Or undead life) But it was his soul.

He smiles at Dark before turning to Cecille and nodding firmly, "I'll do it."

She grins and claps her hands in one faint movement, "Alrighty. Let's begin."


	7. Void Insides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hmm? What kind of soul does Jack really have??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want this to be too long but I just couldn't find a place to stop. But hey! More on Cecille and Oddius(preferred catshade ;3)

Cecille had them follow her to a different room, one with only a large table and an almost empty bookshelf. It was a very uncomfortable looking room and Jack was starting to dread his decision.

"Just lay down and relax. It won't hurt, but it will feel very surreal." She said as she looked for another book on the dusty shelf.

Jack obeyed and laid down on the wooden rickety table, Dark standing by him closely observing everything.

Cecille returned to Jack's other side and flipped the pages until she found the right one, "Are you ready?"

Jack looked to Dark and then back at the Shade, "I guess?"

"Good!" She chirped and set a hand on his chest.

The feathers were soft but still had the feeling of fingers and bones, gently rubbing the fabric of his hoodie. She began reading the page in the unfamiliar language and her eyes faintly glowed with a silvery tint.

Jack knew what she meant by surreal. His body felt like it was falling and his head was light and dizzy. It was almost like he was having a falling dream, but he wasn't waking up.

As her eyes glowed brighter, the glowing began in her hand, and soon was flowing along his chest. It pulsated with his heartbeat, sending little static jolts to his fingers and toes.

Dark had gripped Jack's arm again with a vice grip as he watched. The nervousness settling in his stomach. His eyes scanned over the irishman's face for any sign of pain, but all he saw was a blank, almost confused expression.

Cecille lifted her hand up, pulling the silver glow with it along with something.. green?

Jack stared down at his chest in surprise, the hand pulling more of it out. He began feeling more strange jolts through his body, but found it hard to move. He could barely feel anything, besides Dark's hand on his arm, which made him oddly feel safe.

He wanted to tell him something. Anything. To make sure Dark knew he was ok, that it didn't hurt, but his body refused to let him speak. Maybe it was shock. Or the fact someone had their literal hands on his soul.

Cecille hummed lightly and pulled the rest of the green plasma-looking thing upwards.

Jack's entire world suddenly slipped from under him. He was suspended in a void of familiar blackness. Except he wasn't alone.   
  
Hovering in front of him was the ball of green, swirling around in nonexistent wind. Inside of it was a little white ball about the size of a baseball, with a large crack down the center.

Jack didn't know what to do at first, but when he raised a hand towards it, it immediately floated to him. The green glow around it resembled flames, that flicked dully around the white ball.

The second his fingers touched the flames, they burst to life, violently licking the air. It had no burn, and barely a touch, but it was there. He edged his fingers closer until they brushed along the crack of the ball.

Jack didn't know what to expect, but a large blue eye opening from the center, was not something that would come to mind. But there it was, one large eyeball staring directly at him. Then he could see where the bottom part of the ball jutted out, forming little teeth. It was a skull. With one eye?

The crack was still there, though. Crossing over the eye and spreading in little lightning streaks above to top of the cranium.

"Hello?" He mumbled to the abnormal little creature.

It blinked once, the skull apparently not made of actual bone, just whatever the white ball before was. Suddenly, it made little chirping noises, swirling around Jack's hand and up his arm.

He couldn't subside his laugh. He wasn't scared of it, by no means, but it was definitely a sight to see. Letting it roam around him was almost calming.

Until it stopped right in front of his chest, staring blankly at it. It's gaze met Jack's and it almost looked sad. It's flame dulled again and it floated closer making small whimpering sounds.

"Aw, hey buddy, it's ok." Jack soothed the little skull, gently running his fingers through its gas-like flame.

It purred and whirled around his hand a couple times. The light flame tickled against his skin and Jack chuckled lightly.

"You're pretty cute actually, little.. thing." He lifted it eye level and looked closely as it rolled around in the palm of his hands. "What are you even called?"

He examined it more up close. It was a strange creature, rolling and chirping in his hands. Even though he just met this thing, he was surprisingly very fond of it. Possibly because it was his soul. This little fiery toxic-looking thing was his being. The thing that made him, him?

"I'm just gonna call you Sam, ok?" Jack said, gently rubbing his thumb over the crack in the soft skull, "I can't honestly think of anything else, and I don't want to just call you my soul. That seems arrogant since you seem to have a mind of your own."

It purred loudly in response. Jack only watched it as it nestled quietly against his hand. He didn't know if souls were supposed to act like this, but he didn't mind it.

The newly named Sam looks up with a blank look and whispers, "Wake up."

"Woah, what? You can talk?" He held it out in front of him, but it didn't even budge.

The plasma skull spoke again, but the voice was too familiar to be Sam's, "Jack."

Before he could think of the face that belonged to that voice, Sam flew forward, directly through Jack's chest.

He could hear the talking grow louder as the black void began to fade away. The familiar voice calling repeatedly for him to wake up.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, Dark was leaned over him with worried eyes. They were still in the room, Jack still laid out on the table.

Dark smiles sweetly, "Morning, sweetheart!"

Jack only smiled for a second before remembering Sam. He shot up almost too quickly as Dark backed away.

"I saw my soul!" He exclaimed. "He was a skull of fire and green and had one eye and I named him Sam because why not!"

Jack rambled on about the little soul, while Dark listened with amazement. He hadn't seen the human this excited, and he really liked how brightly he smiled while he talked.

"He was kind of cute but also creepy looking. But he chirped and purred like a bird or something!" Jack continued.

"That sounds exciting. Glad you had a good time, " Dark chuckled lightly.

"Hey, where's Cecille?" Jack asked looking around the room for the giant owl Shade.

"Uh, " Dark looked towards the closed door, "apparently one of her buddies showed up and she had to take care of them."

Jack got up from the table and stretched. At the movement, he could feel Sam in the back of his head. It was different, like nothing he'd ever felt before. The static feeling remained in the back of his head as he could faintly hear the little chirps from the skull.

"You feeling okay?" Dark asked, noticing the human's sudden discomfort.

"I can feel something in the back of my head. I think it's Sam but it feels very weird." Jack mumbled as he rubbed the spot on the base of his skull.

Dark tilted his head, "Well, he can see everything you see now. He's awake and probably full of energy. We'll ask Cecille when she gets back."

As if on cue, the door opened to show a very irritated Cecille being followed by a very lanky cat-like Shade. A very intoxicated cat-like Shade.

"I hate to introduce him," she announced, "but here's my good-for-nothing roommate, Oddius. He's very drunk and very whiny as of right now. My apologies."

'Oddius' extends a wavering hand to Dark, "Sup, bruh."

Dark looks at the drunken creature before quickly shaking hand, "Uh, hi."

The Shade whirls around on his heel to face Jack, "Woah, what a- a lovely soul you get 'dere, bud."

Oddius offers another sloppy handshake and Jack begrudgingly takes it. "Thanks."

"Can you leave my guests alone now?" Cecille asks through a scowl.

"'Ey! Why'd you- why's there a demon and human here?" He slurs turning towards her, just realizing they wasn't supposed to be there.

Jack can now see why some of these things are terrifying. Oddius has hundreds of needle-like spikes coming from the top of his shoulders, laying down across his back. His tail is also littered with the spikes, shining as his tail swishes back and forth. As he moves and talk, they move with him. Shaking lightly as he breathes.

"Jack is a corrupted soul. I wanted to help." Cecille says calmly, snapping Jack from his examination of Oddius.

  
"Bruh." The cat Shade drops his hands to his sides with defeat, almost sounding offended.

She only nods in response. Avoiding the other Shade, she looks back to the two standing awkwardly.

"It would probably be best if you headed home and got some rest. That soul will eventually start to realize the situation and you'll need to be well prepared for that." Cecille smiles warmly as Dark takes a hold of Jack's arm once more.

"You -you shouldn't be fuckin with these- these 'things', Ceci!" Oddius suddenly barks, "Let the angels deal wit' it."  
  
She turns quickly to him with cold eyes. "Shut it, Odd! I'm doing what I please. Go lay down before you make yourself sick."

He opens his mouth to protest but she's quick to reply, "Test me, Oddius. I dare you."

Oddius gives a defeated sigh as he trudges through the door grumbling to himself.

Once the cat Shade is gone, Cecille turns her attention back to the men. "Sorry about that. He's a bit of a problem sometimes."

"I totally understand." Jack says giving a side glance to the demon.

She shows them to the front door watching Jack carefully. The experience generally drained the person, using so much mental strength. The irishman was stronger than he thought, though.

Before saying goodbyes, Cecille puts a steady hand on Dark's shoulder, gaining his fearful attention,"You watch after him, understand? I don't want anything bad to happen while his soul adjusts."

Dark nods nervously, "Yes, of course."

She smiles and pats his shoulder before turning to Jack. "I'll check up on you every once in a while, ok?"

Jack's already opening the door, still beaming over his experience with Sam. "Ok! Sounds good!"

He felt tired, but he was just so damn excited. Living his entire life not knowing his soul wasn't awake made it even more interesting. He was a happy as a child, but as the years progressed, he lost a lot of feelings. True laughs were soon forced. Genuine smiles were fake. But what he was feeling now was real. Very real. And it made his whole mind light up with feelings.

He was a little nervous at the thought of negative emotions. They had always been numb feelings. But he still wanted to feel them anyways. To know what it was like to have a reason to cry or scream. Not just from uselessness.

Bad feelings are still feelings. And that's all he wanted, was to feel.


	8. Gentle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's a loopy leprechaun. Dark is a confused friend. And Avidan is an asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been incredibly tired and working through weekends so this is a bit late. Sorry guys

Dark cautiously walked Jack back to his apartment after they said final goodbyes. The irishman was still overly excited, not putting much effort into walking straight, but the demon didn't mind. He still held onto Jack's arm, keeping him as upright as he could as they walked. 

When they finally managed to get in the front door,(after Jack tripped a couple times on the front steps) Dark immediately made him sit on the couch, "Just stay still for a bit."

Jack only laughed but he was definitely tired now. The short walk made him realize how much energy had been drained. His legs and arms still felt tingly and his head was spinning (probably Sam). It was a good kind of drained, though. 

"Dark," He mumbled, letting his head fall back on the couch,"you're a really good friend, y'know?"

The demon stared at him, "You.. think so?"

Dark didn't have many friends. Well, none anymore. And they weren't really friends like him and Jack were either. This was the first time since becoming a demon that he was so fond of someone. 

"Yeah man, you're the only one whose really been here for me. This entire week you've been by my side and helped me." Jack muttered, eyes closing tiredly. 

The demon only watched. He knew he was different. That's why he could never be a successful demon. That's why Satan hated him so much, even when he did things right. Yet, here he was getting told that he was a good friend. To a human that summoned him to take his soul. 

His thoughts were broke by Jack giggling, grinning wide as he spoke, "Even Sam likes you."

Jack let his head fall to face Dark, eyes barely cracking open to take in the surprised look on the demon's face. His grin grew wider, "I don't regret dying when I'm with you."

Dark's jaw dropped slightly and he knew Jack was incredibly tired now. To the point of delirium. He had to be delirious to say that. 

The Irishman suddenly yawned loudly and attempted to stretch his arms above him, only to have them fall short of the satisfying feeling.

"Alright, you loopy leprechaun. You need to lay down or something." Dark finally said trying to help the other man up. Jack was a complete dead weight though, head and arms lolling to the side with small giggles as Dark tried getting him on his feet. He didn't want to know what he'd be like drunk. For a scrawny little bag of flesh, he was pretty heavy. Or maybe Dark was just out of shape. It could honestly be either.

After many minutes of tireless effort and clumsy trips, Dark finally got Jack to his room. By the time Jack's head hit the pillow, he was out cold. He lazily threw a blanket over the other and made his way to shut off the light. He wasn't really keen with the nurturing thing. 

Dark was deep in thought as he shut the door, but was quick to notice the angel in the room. He appeared a lot faster than Dark realized. Perched on the chair, wings tucked tightly in between the back of the chair and the lithe body, Avidan sat with a cold glare on the demon. 

Maybe it was the stress, or the exhaustion of the morning, but Dark didn't even jump. He rolled his eyes as dramatically as possible and plopped down on the couch, "Yeah, yeah! I know, you're pissed. But Jack seems so much happier with Sam tho-"

"Why are so attached to him?" Avidan said almost venomously. It didn't sound like a question. It was more of a hidden threat. 

Dark pursed his lips in thought. He really didn't like this guy, "Well, for starters, he saved my life. Secondly, he's kind of all I got now. He also thinks I'm a good friend." He made direct eye contact with the angel, and smirked, "Also, he's pretty cute."

Avidan's glare could've cut him in half if it was a tad bit sharper. The sudden look of confusion quickly crossed his features, "Wait, who's Sam?"

Dark's cockiness immediately evaporated at the realization. The angel didn't know what happened. Didn't Avidan tell Jack to stay away from them? Hell, even Dark said it. And he let him walk right into it. 

Dark sighed. He should've just kept his mouth shut. "Jack's.. Uh, soul. He named it Sam."

The words were definitely fearful, and the look on Avidan's face assured his fear. 

"What?!" He stood up quickly. 

Dark held up his hands harmlessly, "Hey, he's sleeping. It really wore him out. Cecille said that it'd-"

"You let the Shades wake his soul?!" Avidan continued to yell, approaching Dark with balled fists, "Are you fucking stupid?"

Dark didn't say anything. Yes, he was stupid. Probably the stupidest demon ever. But the angels were the ones who wanted him here, right? They allowed this. Technically speaking. 

The white wings twitched at the angels' sides defensively, "I swear, if that soul gets anymore corrupted than it already is, I will make you wish you were dead."

That threat didn't sound as terrifying as his first words, but Dark understood it. For an Angel to guard a soul, makes them higher up. Some sort of councilman he guessed. 

"Listen, Avidan," Dark stood to face the angel, "I'm taking care of him. He's been in a really good mood since we've been here. He's been cooking and joking around. I think he's happy now that he's dead."

Avidan narrowed his eyes at the shorter man, "You don't know anything about his life before he died."

Dark felt a spark of dense rage build in his chest. Jack didn't even know who Avidan was until he died. 

"I may have been the one to kill him," His arms crossed over his chest, "but at least I've been around more this week than his 'guardian angel' has been in his entire life." 

Dark didn't register the quick movement until he was on the ground, blood dripping from his nose. The sudden pressure building into his head as he slowly sat up. 

Avidan just punched him. Punched him harder and faster than any demon he'd ever brawled with. Hell.

"You ever test me again, I'll personally take you back to Satan myself. " Avidan stared him down. "Now, don't let Jack do anything without my permission. Understood?"

Dark nodded but refused to make eye contact. He wiped the blood from his face as it began to tread over his lips, leaving the familiar copper taste on his tongue. 

Avidan muttered a 'good' before dispersing into the cloud of white, his intentions set in place. 

Dark continued to sit on the floor, contemplating everything going on and how badly his face was hurting. He stared at the light blue couch he had been sleeping on the past week. 

He couldn't stop himself from thinking about Avidan. The angel was obviously more powerful than most angels, but lacked the gentle touch of one. Yeah, definitely didn't have a gentle touch, Dark thought rubbing his cheek that was sure to bruise. 

Shrugging the dizziness from his head, he finally decided to get up. Gently laying down on the couch, he let his eyes close. 

If Avidan cared so much about Jack and his safety, why wasn't he around more? Why hadn't he been around before? Being part of a holy council was busy work, but Jack was more important than that.... Right?

Dark ignored any other thoughts. Jack was excited about Sam. He was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was in his own little safe haven. That's all that mattered. That's what Dark cared about most. 

He couldn't ever be a true demon, and he was fine with it.


	9. Changing Subjects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change the subject quickly before someone gets butthurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my most hated chapter. BUT there is about to be a couple new lovely faces coming!!

Jack woke to the sound of music. It was soft music, but it sounded so familiar. When he sat up his eyes flickered with light and his head swirled with colors. The sudden change in his senses making him become very dizzy and lightheaded. Maybe this was Sam. It had only been a day since he was introduced to the little ball of plasma, and he slept through most of it. No telling what he would be feeling from now on. 

"Sam?" He whispered questioningly as he adjusted to the dizziness. 

'Purrrrr.'

Jack could actually feel it. The low hum of what sounded like a large cat or overly excited bird, pressed against the front of his chest. He wondered if Sam was actually behind his chest bone, enclosed by the curve of his ribs. Probably pressed close to his heart. 

The thought made him smile. Although it was a strange and morbid thought, it was comforting to him. His little moment with Sam was cut short by the sound of stillness. The music had stopped. 

Jack's curiosity peaked as he hesitantly sat up to investigate. Cracking the door open just a bit, he looked over the empty living room. 

Wait. Why was he being stealthy? It was his house. Well, apartment, but still. The door swung open as he walked out into the room, looking for the source of the soft music. He didn't own any radios. That he knew of.

Before he could remember if he did, he heard the music again. Now he could register what it was. A violin. Or a cello, maybe.

Following the sound of the music into the kitchen, he recognized the sweet tune. Hallelujah. The loving song with a sad sound played passionately through the small apartment. 

The source was found, although it was more of a surprise than he thought it would be. 

It was Dark. Standing up straight with perfect posture holding the small little wooden instrument between his shoulder and chin. (Jack was right. It was a violin.)

The demon was facing towards the kitchen window, letting the bow drift lightly across the strings. He leaned back on one heel and turned slightly in a swaying motion. 

Jack could see the relaxed expression across the other's face. The small smile and softened features. Just as Dark fully faced the human, his eyes lazily opened and for a split second his smile grew to a sheepish grin as he made eye contact with the bright blue eyes in front of him. 

Then it was gone. Replaced with sudden shock. Along with the reminder of words.

"Oh my god! What happened to your face, Dark?!" Jack gasped at the sight of the purple and red bruising that drifted across Dark's right cheek and along the bridge of his nose. 

Within a second the violin was gone, vanishing under the demon's hand with a red spark. The demon fumbled slightly as he tried to look away. The tint of his face turning a bright red along with the bruise all the way up to his pointed ears. 

"Uh, I was just, uh.. playing the violin," he stuttered. His embarrassments led more to his violin than the bruise on his face. 

"Not that." Jack hurried forward to the demon and raised a hand to his face, "Where'd you get the giant gnarly bruises?"

Before his hand could make contact with Dark's cheek, it was quickly slapped aside, "Just had a little incident. Nothing big."

Jack's eyebrows raised knowingly, "Nothing big? It looks like someone hit you with a hammer. Did you get in a fight or something?"

"What? No." Dark lied, "I just went to the store and lost a fight to concrete."

It wasn't a full lie. He did go to the grocery store to get some snacks. And he did trip on the mat on the front steps when he got home. But Jack glared suspiciously at him. 

"Oh really?" The irishman crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter, attitude showing promptly.

"Yeah." Dark said defensively.

"You're lying. Very badly, at that." Jack scowled. 

"What?" The demon realized his mistake as soon as Jack asked. So he wasn't the best at lying. Or anything, in general. 

"Dude, you'd have scrapes on you. Your hands aren't even hurt. I know that reflex, and as a demon, yours would be quicker than mine. You would've caught yourself." Jack's pointed at his clean, unharmed hands. 

Dark sighed angrily, looking down at his hands, "Yeah, ok, you caught me."

"So what really happened?" Jack couldn't help but smile. He caught the demon lying red-handed. He could have pride in that. 

The other man only stared at the ground. He didn't want him to know. Not only for the sake of his own dignity (although tripping on concrete wouldn't have helped that either), but he didn't want Jack to know Avidan did it. His guardian angel. The one who is supposed to be guiding and protecting him. 

Jack's prideful grin fell as he noticed Dark's worried look, "Fine. You don't have to tell me now. But I do want to know eventually." 

Dark looked up to see the human walk to the coffee pot. He noticed the way the other smiled at the smell of fresh coffee grounds. It was peaceful and satisfying. 

"You play very well, by the way. It was very beautiful to hear." Jack said softly, changing the sensitive subject, his eyes never leaving his task at hand. 

"Thank you.. I -did I wake you up?!" Dark suddenly asked.

He had been trying to be quiet, but he got so carried away. Sure, he loved to play, but playing like that wasn't really welcome in hell. Sad things, sure. Fast-paced fiddle songs, definitely. Even some pop and folk. But beautiful songs weren't ideal for a place that had no sense of beauty. 

"No, no. It was very nice actually. I don't wake up to music like that a lot, or ever. I had no idea you had a violin. " Jack said finally getting himself a large mug of coffee. He sipped it cautiously before looking back at the demon, who only beamed with pride. As long as he wasn't upset. 

"I'll play more sometime, yeah?" Dark said, his grin growing. No one had complimented him about his talent before. It was nice. 

"I'd love that." Jack grinned back before taking another sip from his mug, "So, what's the plan today?"

Dark raised a confused eyebrow," What day? It's 9pm. You slept for like 12 hours."

"Oh." That wasn't very surprising to Jack as he glanced out the window to see darkness. He felt great, though. Only that much sleep could make him feel this good. Or maybe it was Sam.

They sat in silence as the irishman thought. He wondered if his favorite bar was still open. It wasn't too late, but this was a different realm. But alcohol was obviously a thing since Oddius apparently drank it like water.

"Maybe my old favorite pub is open?" Jack said taking a glance out the kitchen window again. He could see now that it was lightly sprinkling. Maybe not the best weather for a few drinks, but he did want to see what it was like here. Maybe meet some new creatures. 

Dark gave him a look as if he had gone crazy, "Are you seriously thinking about going to a bar at this time? What about Sam? Should you even be drinking with him recently woke up?"

"Hey! If he's any bit of Irish like me, he can handle a few beers. Irishmen don't back down to a good time at a pub!" Jack exclaimed, holding a hand proudly to his chest. He could feel the pressure in his chest, replacing sleepiness with excitement. Sam would enjoy it. 

"What about other Shades? Or demons and angels? This place isn't full of just souls. And Shades enjoy their drinks so they're bound to be there." Dark tried reasoning, but the thought of a drink had already lured Jack into getting ready. 

"Jeez, calm your tits!" Jack said sliding into his room to hastily change into new clean clothes. "Obviously not all Shades are bad."

When he reappeared into the kitchen to grab his shoes, Dark was sitting with a pout at the kitchen table, his arms crossed defensively over his chest.

"Are you going to just sit there and sulk the entire time or what?" Jack chuckled as he looked in the hall closet for his umbrella. The blue tattered mess had seen many rainy days of Ireland but it was still good. 

"Yes! You could get into serious trouble and Cecille will havey head!" Dark huffed defiantly. The bruise on his face and the way he pouted reminded Jack how childish the annoying creature was sometimes. 

"Just come on. It'll be fun. Besides, if anything bad happens, I'll own up to the entire thing and take the blame." The human stood at the doorway to the kitchen, fully prepared for a rainy walk about 5 blocks down the road. It was nice living close to the town sometimes. 

He waited for about 15 seconds before Dark grumbled about 'stupid decisions' and 'owning up to shit'. But he got up despite wanting to stay and got his boots. He honestly couldn't let Jack go alone, and he highly doubted the moron would be willing to suppress his urges for a drink or two. 

"You're going to be the death of me one day." Dark mumbled as he adjusted his feet into the heavy boots. 

"Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" Jack piped with an eager grin, already heading for the front door, "Let's go already!"

"I'm coming. Sheesh, chill out." Dark sighed heavily. This was probably going to be the longest, most nerve-racking night of his life. 

Then again, as long as Jack's around, the demon will probably be put through worse situations.


	10. Bartender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few drinks to calm the nerves and a fuckton of information

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to make the chapters longer now since more is going on. But hey demon Ken and Shade Cry!!

Surprisingly, the walk wasn't as bad as Dark thought it would be. It drizzled lightly, but Jack's trusty umbrella was wide enough to keep them dry. It had apparently sprinkled most of the day and left them avoiding puddles along the sidewalk throughout the walk.

"Man," Jack piped up, looking up towards the dark clouds of the night sky, "I never thought I'd miss good ole Ireland rain."

Dark only nodded, observing the street they walked along. Hardly anyone was out, aside from a few young souls enjoying the weather. It was eerily quiet, though.

After about 15 minutes of walking, Jack pointed out a sign down the road that hung off the side of a building, glowing brightly, "There it is!"

The place was lit up, bustling with movement. Not as many as Dark had feared, but enough to cause a little uneasiness.

Entering the cozy pub, Jack quickly shut his umbrella, laying it down against the doorway along with others to dry, and made a beeline for the bar. Dark followed suite, observing the crowd that happened to be there tonight. It was mainly souls, thankfully, save for a handful of demons and lonely angels. Some of them sitting at tables or dancing to whatever song was playing over the speakers. But the one Shade in the entire place, happened to be right next to the barstool that Jack quickly seated himself in.

Dark's stomach fell as he sat down on the other side of the irishman. Nerves on edge as he made a mental note of the numerous empty bottles in front of the creature. He couldn't quite get a good look of it since Jack was in the way, but the large pointed ears laid against its head, and the extra set of arms made Dark want to book it as soon as possible.

Jack, on the other hand, wasn't fazed the least bit. He stared with awe at the creature until it slowly turned and looked down at him.

"Hi!" Jack beamed up at it, only to realize that it's face was covered with a mask. A white curved circle with two beady little eyeholes and a thin line for a mouth covering his entire face.

Dark was going to throw up.

Before it could respond to Jack, a demon approached from the other side of the counter, holding a rag and speaking with a quick southern accent, "Welcome! Name's Ken. What can I get for you two?"

Dark opened his mouth to speak but Jack quickly interrupted him, "Yes! Shot of whiskey please."

Ken nodded and then let his ruby eyes fall on Dark, "And for you?"

"Um..," Dark looked at the dozens of bottles on the back wall, trying not to show how unsettled he was, "A long island iced tea, please."

Ken nodded and went about to making the mixed drink first.

Dark watched him for a while, trying to focus on the tattoos that covered his left arm. They were very colorful for a demon to have. He looked like a higher ranked demon, but didn't hold himself quite like one. He was very laid back and friendly. Also very smiley, a grin spread across his bearded face as he listened to an angel babble about something down the bar.

Dark, not paying attention to Jack, was suddenly shocked to hear the irishman speak up,"I like your mask. You look so mysterious."  
  
The red haired demon could feel himself pale as he turned to see Jack speaking directly to the Shade as it leered over him, much taller than him.

"Jack!" Dark quickly pulled the other back,"D-don't be so.. rude. Leave him be."

Jack was oblivious to Dark's fear and looked at him questioningly, "I'm just complimenting him, jeez."

Before Dark could say anything else, the Shade coughed into one of his webbed hands. Both their attention snapped back to the shadowy creature as it once again looked at them.

"Thanks, friend." It's voice was soft and calming, unmatched to its appearance. It seemed to relax after speaking, letting it's lower set of arms fall into its lap.

Jack beamed excitedly, "No problem, buddy!"

As if on cue, Ken finally returned with their drinks. He watched with a bit of shock as Dark took a couple large gulps of his drink, "Whoa! Chill out, I'll be here all night. No need to rush."

His attention snapped to the Shade watching Jack down his shot in one smooth motion. Its ears finally perked forward as it giggled, "Is Cry bothering you two? I can kick him out if you'd like."

"No! He's my new friend." Jack suddenly yelps as he puts the glass down. His voice suddenly hoarse as the liquid burns down his throat and chest.

"Yeah!" 'Cry' says as he slaps the irishman on the back with one of his webbed hands, "I like this little dude."

Ken raises one eyebrow and leans against the counter, "Y'know, he's known to eat his 'friends'?"

Dark takes another gulp of his sweet drink in an attempt to calm his spastic nerves. He wanted the other demon to be joking, but Shades did eat whatever they wanted. The thought of how pissed Avidan would be if he let something like that happen right after his recent warning.

"Yeah! Well," Jack suddenly throws an arm around Dark's shoulders causing the other to jump, "this is my best friend and he's already murdered me, so take your chances, bud!"

Dark feels pride for a second at how wide Jack grins, but immediately feels the guilt rush through him when the other two give him a shocked look.

"Is he how you got here?" Ken asks pointing at the other demon.

"Yup! Summoned him myself! Now we're best buds!" Jack lets go of Dark to grab his empty shot glass. "Also, can I have another shot?"

Ken raises his eyebrows but grabs the bottle behind the bar and pours him another shot, "Y'all are the strangest couple I've ever seen."

"We're not a couple." Dark barely mumbles, watching Jack slam down the other shot. "Slow down. You're going to get drunk way too quickly."

Jack laughs and puts the little glass back down, "That's the plan!"

"I like him a lot." Cry says as he lifts the lid of his beer bottle just underneath the lip of his mask to take a swig.

The Shade suddenly stands up and begins pawing at his sides. When he finds the spot he was apparently looking for, his hand slides into his skin, as if melting.

After digging in this supposed 'pocket', Cry pulls out a fistful of something. He makes a gesture of success as he leans his hand over the bar to drop it.

Dark was expecting a dead rat, or maybe a stray soul he'd forgotten to eat. Nope. Cry drops four beautiful raw gems onto the bar.

"Drinks are on me, friends." He says before picking through the pile of stones until he pulls out a large bright green one and offers it to Jack. "I think this will suit you for the rest of the night."

Jack stares in disbelief as his jaw drops. He grips the emerald tightly, as if it was the most valuable thing he'd ever seen. Because it was. He had seen jewels like this put on rings and necklaces for small fortunes, but this, it was the size of a golf ball.

He looked back up and blinked, "Are you serious? Where'd you even get this?"

Cry let out a loud smooth laugh, "Shades have their ways, my friend. I could tell you that I got it from a dimension full of bigger jewels, but I could be lying."

Dark took another sip of his drink, only to find it empty. Maybe that's why he had calmed down. The bruise on his face had stopped hurting a while ago and he questioned if it was even still there. He was about to say something when Ken slipped to the side for another person.

"Isn't this cool?" Jack nudged the demon. He held up the emerald like it was a trophy, grinning wide.

"Very pretty." Dark smiled at the other. The human's vibrant blue eyes ogling at the gem.

Jack quickly spun around to Cry again. "Can you really go to other dimensions?"

Cry nodded, telling him of the many dimensions in the universe and how man will never see them. He gloated about planets far away from the Milky Way, and how some even held life.   
  
Dark only partially listened. Suddenly, all he could think about was Jack before he died. How lifeless he seemed compared to now, getting overly excited about Shades and gems. He couldn't imagine the irishman any other way. Death is so frowned upon, but Jack wouldn't be able to feel this way if he was alive without Sam.

The night continued on, Jack taking more shots and talking with Cry. Dark stayed quiet, sipping on drinks until they were gone. He wasn't no where near as drunk as Jack, but he did feel better.

Then Cry spoke up, "Hey, let's dance!"

Jack was too drunk to even answer, hopping up from his seat a little too fast. He wobbled a little, grabbing Dark's shoulder for support until Cry led him to the crowd of others dancing.

Dark didn't get a chance to say anything. He tried to ignore the jealousy. He tried not to care or be bothered by it, but couldn't help but to glance at the two every chance he got. It was nothing to worry about, he knew that. Cry kept his distance and watched over the drunken leprechaun. But still. HE was supposed to watch over him.

"Y'know," Ken's voice suddenly snapped Dark to attention, "Jack's very aware of things. How long did you say he'd been here?"

"We've been here about a week." Dark mumbled taking a sip of his drink. He could barely taste the alcohol anymore but he preferred it that way.

"How'd you get here though? I mean, generally demons take the souls of the ones they kill. And he's not in hell." Ken said gathering up Cry's empty bottles, throwing them away in a large bin underneath the bar.

"Well, uh, his soul is a bit different and I kind of fucked up." Dark didn't look up at him. Instead he glanced over his shoulder to see the two dancing ridiculously, which made him feel a little better about the whole ordeal. As long as Jack was enjoying himself.

"Ah. You get banished or something?" Ken asked almost proudly, as if it was an amazing thing to be banished from your home.

"Yeah. Turns out an angel kinda has 'custody' of his soul. Arin wasn't too pleased." Dark chuckled lightly at how ridiculous that sounded. An angel owning a soul. Arin being pleased about anything.

"Jeez, that guy's a prick," Ken said with a scowl, "It was so much better in hell when Jon was there. I mean, it was still hell, but he kept it tidy and organized, unlike this new guy. Jon and Avidan kept the biblical rules and laws in such good order. Demons and angels never had to worry about their lives."

Dark froze, eyes widening at Ken. "Avidan?"

Ken suddenly grinned, "Yeah. He was God for a long time. Was such a great guy. Helped me with a few things, actually." His grin fell, "Then a few millennia ago he just changed. Not long after that the new God appeared. I can't remember her name but she's a sweetheart."

Dark stared at him with absolute shock. It explained why Avidan was so powerful, and was watching over Jack's soul. The reason he was with Suzy so much. Possibly the reason he was an asshole.

When he regained his thoughts, he put his drinks aside and asked, "Can I borrow a pen and paper?"

Ken looked at him oddly, but took one of his blank receipt papers and pen from his pocket and handed it to him. "You remember something all of a sudden?"

Once he got the pen and paper, Dark began writing down everything Ken just told him. "Uh, I just need to write that down. I won't remember it tomorrow."

"Woah, there's not gonna be a test or anything." Ken joked as he watched him scribble down words quickly.

"Avidan is his angel." Dark said pointing over his shoulder towards Jack and Cry dancing, "God wanted me to stay with him for some reason because Arin told me not to come back without his soul."

Ken was more serious now. Leaning in towards Dark to whisper, "Why haven't you taken it yet? You have a perfect chance."  
  
"Because it's corrupted.. and he's my friend." Dark finished the last couple sentences before looking back up at Ken, who was giving him a knowing grin, "Is there anything else you know about them?"

"Wow. Been a good while since I seen one of them strolling around. He's pretty hyper for a corrupt. Well... uh, the new God was in here not too long ago talking to a Shade." Ken folded his arms across his chest as he thought, "A big owl one, with a scarf. She was really sweet and her friend Oddius is a drinking buddy of Cry's. He's in here all the time. They acted like they were real good friends, though."

Dark was definitely going to throw up now.

"Cecille was in her talking with Suzy?" He could barely get his voice above a whisper.

"That's what her name was!" Ken acted like this happened all the time. A God coming to a bar in Ireland of the spirit world to talk to a very powerful Shade. Probably about business matters tending to a certain soul. That happened to be roommates with a demon who was supposed to be obtaining said soul. Absolutely normal for Ken.

Dark thought about asking more questions but was roughly interrupted by a small body laying directly up against his back. His entire body tensed up and his mind scrambled to think of what to do. He was close to elbowing the person, when he heard the familiar loud voice from behind.

"Bartender, I really did it this time!! HIC! Broke meh parole for good time!!" The shrill off tuned Jack sang loudly.

Dark quickly put the receipt in his pocket, giving Jack a questioning look. He was confused until he heard the song on the speakers, and then Cry was singing it as well. They both sat back down in their seats and attempted to sing the song.

Ken only laughed and took the empty shot glass from Jack, who attempted to drink from it in-between words, "I don't think you need anymore, kid."

"I'm fine!" Jack giggled, emphasizing the words. He leaned against Dark again and tried to talk, "We should.. come here. Like, a lot more."

Cry was in a fit of laughter now, holding onto his stomach as he leaned back and cackled. His large salamander-like tail wiggled with each inhale. His mask slipped a little to one side and the laughing subsided as he quickly adjusted it.

Dark nodded, "Yeah, sure. If Avidan don't kill me when he comes back."

"I knew it!!" Jack yelled, raising his arms up in triumph.

"Knew what?" Dark asked watching as Jack almost fell backwards off the barstool. Thankfully for Cry's extra limbs, he was pushed back onto his seat.

"That Avi- Avidan punched you!" He suddenly squinted his eyes and clasped his hands in a mischievous manner before whispering in a raspy voice, " _I knew it_."

Ken raised his eyebrows towards Dark, finally understanding his interest in the ex-God. He let out a chuckle as Jack continued to rub his hands together.

Before Dark could say much else, Jack abruptly leaned on him again and lightly pat his arm, "Tis okay, bud. HIC! He's jus' a feather duster."

The random little action made Dark laugh. God, was he drunk. He did take numerous shots of whiskey and danced for a good twenty minutes. But jeez, this was a little too much. He was partially glad that Jack was feeling good, considering things could've gone so much worse.

"You done yet?" Dark nudged the irishman lightly enough to get a few giggles from him, "It's about time we go, don't you think?"

Jack sat up and whined, "But I'm having so much fun."

"And we'll come back next week, okay?" Dark was talking to him like he was a small child. His mental state probably was that of a small child right now.

Jack only nodded before fishing in the pocket of his jeans for the emerald. When he finally got it, he laid it on the counter in front of Ken, "'Dis for you."

Ken laughed loudly, "Nah. That's way more than you think you owe. I'll just put your drinks on a tab. You'd better come back though."

Jack beamed at the gem and clumsily thanked the bartender.

"Hey, I can walk you guys home?" Cry offered, giving Jack a pat on the back, "Make sure nobody messes with my friends here."

Dark sighed with relief. He hadn't quite thought about how he was gonna manage the drunk Irishman. Knowing his luck, Jack would try talking to anyone they saw. It was too late at night for that.

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it." Dark stood, running his hand through his hair. His fingers brushed against the broken horn and he was once again relieved that it didn't hurt.

Before Jack could even try to get up, Cry crouched down and used his lower set of arms to pull him up onto the Shade's back. Jack was beyond thrilled to get a piggyback ride and waved to Ken as Cry carried him through the crowd of people towards the front door.

"Hey," Ken mumbled, "if you need anything, just holler? I'll always be here."

Dark smiled. He was already feeling warm from his couple of drinks, but the sincerity from another demon made him feel safe. It had been a while.

"Thanks, man. I'll more than likely be back next week with the leprechaun. And to fill out the tab."

Ken made a waving motions with his hand, "Don't worry about it. Currency isn't that important here. I was just joking earlier."

Dark said his goodbyes and was lucky to remember Jack's umbrella on the way out. To his surprise, Cry had already walked down majority of the block without him.

"Hey! Don't just leave me here!" He called out to him.

He faintly heard Jack laugh and then yell, "Faster!"

Thankfully, Cry didn't oblige and waited patiently for the demon to catch up. He held on tightly to Jack's legs which helped perch the human just above his shoulders, peering over with drunken excitement.

"Thank you." Dark mumbled as he approached the two.

"Man! We were.. gonna leave you so qui- My umbrella!!" Jack was distracted by Dark handing the blue tattered mess to the equally green drunken mess.

"Where'd do you live again?" Cry asked using his top arms to scratch underneath his mask.

"Um, across from Oddius and Cecille??" Dark said looking up to the cloudy sky. There was no rain now, but the air was more chilly than before.

"Oh yeah!" Cry adjusted his arms to balance Jack more, "I guess you guys know them too?"

"Yeah. Wasn't really planned but Jack really likes them." Dark said noticing Cry's large tail dragging on the ground, sometimes leaving little black smudges on the sidewalk. He silently wandered if it was squishy.

"Cecille's sooo nice." Jack mumbled, leaning on the Shade's shoulder, wild green hair fluffed up in different directions.

Cry chuckled, "Yeah, she's a sweet lady. Very nurturing for a Shade of such rank. Usually they're really cocky beasts, but Ceci is just loving as all get out."

Dark nodded and looked at the Irishman, who was already beginning to fall asleep. He hadn't really noticed, but the previous dark circles underneath his eyes were gone and he wasn't as pale as the first time they met.

He told Ken they'd be back. And he meant it. Even if Avidan jumps down his throat each time they went, he was going to let Jack have fun and live a little. Cecille said that Sam would make things different, but if they made the human more alive, he was ok with that.

Maybe Jack could live a life he actually wanted to live before Suzy figured out what to do. She never mentioned what exactly they were trying to figure out, but it would obviously do good for him. Right?

Maybe he'd get to be an angel? Instead of rotting in hell, like the original plan. Plan? There wasn't one to begin with. Just a 'wing it' method they were using now. Maybe things would work in his favor.

He looked back up at Jack. The human was barely awake now, one eye almost closed as he let one arm swing by his side, his feet dangling tiredly in Cry's grip.

Dark recognized the familiar apartment as it got closer. He felt pretty good. The night had gone smoothly and he even learned a few things. He hadn't even checked the time, but he figured Jack would sleep until noon, which he was fine with.

Sam would just have to continue doing what he was doing until things got in order. If they ever did. But Dark was hoping.


	11. Bicker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course Jack thinks he's a stable drunken irishman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this has taken so long ;-; but here's two chapters

The apartment was the same as they left it. After Jack had to dig in his pockets for nearly five minutes to find the keys they were quickly inside from the chilly air. Cry put Jack down in a kitchen chair while Dark quickly kicked off his boots. 

"Cozy place you got here. " Cry says looking around the room. His tail had lifted and slightly curled to stop from dragging on the ground. Probably to avoid leaving the weird black smudges. 

"Thanks. It's my fave." Jack mumbled, laying his head against the kitchen table and lazily kicking his shoes off. "I lived here before I died." 

Cry just stared at him before turning towards Dark, who only shrugged. He'd only known Jack for a week so he didn't have the slightest ideal what he'd be like now in his post-soul, drunken state. 

"Well, I best be going. Ken probably thinks I fell in the sewer again." Cry chuckles as he pats Jack on the head. 

"I don't even want to know." Dark replied. 

"Yeah. You think the Shades up here are scary, you don't want to see what's down there." Cry shook his head, placing a set of hands on his hips, "Those fuckers are wild as hell."

"I wanna see!" Jack yelled sitting up in his seat. His tired eyes were now wide awake and his funky hair stood up. It suited him in a cute spunky way. 

"No." Dark pointed a finger at him as if to scold him, but Jack only grinned wider. He kicked his feet idly as he hiccuped. It was down right adorable and Dark hated it. 

Cry laughed at the scene and patted Jack again. "Listen to your.. friend, dude."

Dark was about to stick his tongue out at the Irishman, when a quick steady knock sounded on the front door. 

They all froze in place. Cry was the first to relax but before he could say anything, Jack leapt up from his seat with amazing speed for a drunk guy.

"I'll get it!" He yelled all the way to the front door. Dark, of course, was right on his heels, still overly cautious about someone knocking on their door at early hours of the morning. 

Jack yanked open the front door just as Dark caught his jacket and pulled him back. The Irishman struggled in his grip before seeing the dark looming figure on the doorstep.

"Cecille!" He shouted pushing Dark away with enough force to knock the demon into the door. Without any hesitation, he wrapped both arms around the Shade, giving her a tight squeeze while mumbling things into her shadowy feathers. 

"Why, hello, Mr. McLoughlin." Cecille patted his head tenderly. She gave a suspicious look towards Dark, who was rubbing one of his shoulders with a shocked expression. "May I come in?"

"Yes! Of -hic- course." Jack let go and led her into the kitchen past Dark. "This is the kitchen, and over there is the living room and- OH! That's Cry, he's my new friend."

Dark closed the forgotten open door and joined them in the kitchen just in time to hear Cecille mutter, "Oh really?" 

The realization that she would know Dark let Jack go to a crowded bar and get horrendously drunk, less than a day after she ordered him to take care of the dumb leprechaun, slowly sinks in. As if being able to sense the discomfort, her silver orbs turn to glare at him. 

"Now, now, Ceci!" Cry suddenly says while lifting his first set of arms defensively and folding the second set behind him. "Jack had a good time. He had many people watching after him. It was good to let Sam get this exercise a bit early."

Jack nods eagerly up at the Shade who only sighs angrily, "You're the last person he should've been hanging around."

"Well, it's better than Oddius or a random Shade." Cry says knowingly. 

"Wait." Dark says out loud. His brain just went into full gear. Cry knew about Sam. Ken said that Suzy was talking to Cecille. 

"Cry knew about Sam? About Jack being corrupted? You never told us any of that!" Dark snaps towards Cecille. "You've been having little meetings with Suzy too!"

Cecille stands up straighter as she takes in his loud angered voice. Jack has slowly drifted closer to him with a timid look as he watches for reactions. 

"Ken told me about it." Dark scrambles for the paper in his pocket and begins looking over it. Before he can begin reading from it, she interrupts. 

"Yes. Suzy is an old friend of mine. Before she was God, actually." Cecille speaks firmly as she adjusts her scarf. "She's the one who wanted me to wake his soul."

"Why? What were you talking about at the bar? Was it Jack?" Dark lowers his voice when he notices Jack gripping tightly to his jacket nervously. He seems to be sobering up a lot quicker with all the serious talk. 

Cecille also notices the nervous twitch and turns to the other Shade, "Cry, why don't you take Jack to the living room while we talk?"

Cry nods and offers a hand towards Jack. The human looks at the hand before giving Dark a worried look. 

"It's ok." Dark nods. Jack still looks nervous but allows Cry to lead him to the other room.

Once the two have left Dark sits down at the table, "So?"

Cecille takes a sharp inhale through her mouth before giving the demon a sharp look. "We were talking about you, Mr. Fischbach."

"Oh." He stares at the smooth surface of the table for a minute before jerking his head up to her, "How do you know my last name? I've never used it."

She walks to the countertop to lean on it, standing adjacent from him. "I am a very old Shade, Dark. I knew about you before you were even a demon."

He sits back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest, lifting his chin questioningly. "Why were you talking about me?" 

 

"Well," she scratches a spot on her neck, "have you ever wondered why God chose you to accompany Jack?"

Dark scans the room as he thinks. He can barely hear here Cry and Jack murmuring to eachother in the living room. Probably talking about similar issues. 

"Because I was banned from hell and it was convenient?" He raises his eyebrows and purses his lips as he speaks. 

"No.. well, that too." Her owl-like ears flick. "It had more to do with you than him. Yes, he needed the company, but you did too."

Dark listens intently, but can't help mull over the things that Ken had said. "So, why is this so important?"

"Because Jack needed someone to look after him. And you needed someone to show you how much of a demon you are." She looks at him with almost curious eyes. "Do you feel like a demon?"

Dark stares in shock before speaking with a slightly offended tone, "What do you mean 'feel like a demon'? That's what I am, isn't it?"

She only smiles now, the crooked lips curling from underneath her silver beak. He can see small needle-like teeth glisten from her mouth. 

Standing quickly, he stands tall and broadly, asking again, "Is that not what I am?"

"Shades know a lot about this universe. Especially older ones. But we abide by our own rules, choosing wise people to know certain things. Like Suzy." Her grin disappears into a frown and she squints questioningly at him. "What if I told you, that you were never meant to be a demon, Dark? That the past life you can't remember, had you destined to be more than this. You always hated killing people. A demon doesn't have those feelings."

Dark sat back down in disbelief. He knew what she was saying, but he couldn't grasp any of it. He knew those feelings. The dread of taking a life. But if he wasn't supposed to be a demon, then why was he? Lord knows he wasn't an angel. 

"Jack has brought that past life back to you. Bit by bit. For you to learn your true self. Letting you feel more. You care about him greatly, don't you?" The question is sincere but also knowing. 

Dark thinks about it for a while before nodding. He hadn't known the human long, but he cared about his well being. Even before he was ordered to by this Shade. Well, not like severely cared about him. If he suddenly disappeared one day that'd be ok. He thinks. 

The thought of Jack randomly going missing makes him feel sick. He can't help but to think about the comfy sofa he had been sleeping on compared to the cold ground, niches, and abandoned buildings he dwelled at in hell. The first real food he'd had in months that the human was more than welcome to share. The warm water of a real shower. Living in hell for a lower demon was horrendous. But despite his rank, Jack was happy to see him around. Happy to defend him against fucking Satan himself. 

Dark hasn't even noticed that Cecille is smiling at him lovingly. Probably well aware of his emotions. He didn't even know if Shades could read minds, but the way she's looking at him kind of says otherwise. 

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" A shrill feminine voice suddenly bellows from the other room. Dark is the first to jump up and speed through the little hall into the living room where Jack and Cry had been. 

To his surprise, Suzy is standing in the middle of the room, wings splayed aggressively and eyes full of anger. She's looking directly at Jack, whose got one leg and arm out the front window of the house, being held up by Cry. 

"Fuck! Book it!" The familiar voice of Oddius calls out from the front yard. There's a brief glimpse of the cat-like Shade running across the street. 

Cry seems to panic for a moment, letting go of Jack before falling to all six limbs and swiftly speeding off. 

Which left Jack falling onto the carpeted floor with a loud thud followed by many slurred curses.

"YEH DIDNT HAVE TO FUCKIN' DROP ME!!" He yelled out the window. Rolling over on his side, he looks up at the three staring down at him. 

"Uh.. hey?" He sits up more steadily, showing the deep blush on his features. "I was just, uh. Y'know.."

"Sneaking out?" Dark says giving him a condescending look. Jack only nods, smiling sheepishly.

Suzy rolls her eyes towards Cecille. "What is wrong with your boys?" 

For once, Cecille acts normal. Puffing up some feathers and placing a delicate hand on her chest, she gasps out a fake offended tone, "You leave my children out of this. Your boy was the one trying to leave."

Suzy can't help but to grin. Earning a small chuckle from the Shade. Dark and Jack are too caught up in the scene of sarcasm to really have anything to say. It was the first time Cecille had acted so human in front of them. 

The moment is cut short when Suzy finally looks at Dark. She gasps loudly and rushes towards him lifting a hand, "Avidan really hit you?"

Dark quickly pushes her hand aside. He had completely forgotten about the bruise by now. Especially since he couldn't really feel it anymore. It was probably close to healing up, but apparently still visible. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kind of set him off, I guess." He shrugged and gave a reassuring smile to her. 

"Yup!" Jack exclaims, attempting to get up in one motion, "I figured it out."

His attempt fails horribly and he stumbles back down to the floor in a fit of giggles. 

"Is he drunk?" Suzy suddenly asks, looking back to Dark with a suspicious glare. 

The demon's sudden worry about the situation had returned as his eyes grew wide. He formed a tight line with his mouth before looking back down at the mess of a drunken man on the floor. 

"We went to the bar!" Jack says, finally managing to stand on his own, still giggling between words. "I met Ken and Cr-Cry and I danced and Dark sulked!"

"I did not!" Dark huffs at him. 

"Yup. He sat and talked to Ken about stuff and, and being a nerd and writing it down." Jack says, giving the demon a smug look. "Cry told me."

Dark had never glared at someone so hard in his life. And Jack seems to get a kick out of it, showing his teeth in an almost aggressive way. Before Dark can show the stupid leprechaun whose boss, Cecille clears her throat. 

"Anyway." She turns to Suzy. "Dark and I were having a very interesting conversation, Suzy. I have told him minor information about this whole mess."

Suzy furrows her eyebrows in confusion before gasping lightly and nodding, "I forgot about that. Since Ken decided to snitch.."

"Hey!" Dark cut in, "I'm kind of dragged into this by you guys and I'd like to know what the fuck you're planning."

"Yeah!" Jack stumbles to Dark and bumps into him, using him to stand straight, "I still don't know what's going on!"

"Not you." Dark growls, taking Jack by the arm, "You need to go to bed. You're too drunk to understand this anyways."

Jack fights back, "Am not! Us Irish can deal with any situation drunk!"

His voice is loud, shrill and echoing around. Also very fragile, cracking on tones too high pitched even for him. 

"No. You need to get some sleep." Dark doesn't let go of the humans arm, and begins to notice how much stronger he is compared to the first time they met. 

"Actually," Cecille chimes in, "it would be best if both of you got some rest. Besides, me and Suzy have a lot to discuss. And also chase down Cry, since he's run off.." She glares out the window at the thought of the other Shade. 

"Yeah.." Suzy mumbles, "It'd be better to have a sober Jack as well, since he should probably listen to this."

Jack suddenly yanks his arm from Dark's grip, quickly sticking tongue out at him. The demon's first reaction is to bare his teeth at the human, showing off the sharp edges of his fangs. This seems to make Jack nervous, as he takes a couple steps back. 

"I'm hoping the two of them survive the night." Cecille whispers down to Suzy, who nods. 

"This would have been a lot smoother if Ken hadn't ruined this. Why did Cry even butt in?" Suzy whispers back, watching the two men size eachother up. They're not even paying attention to God and the Shade anymore. Caught up in each others annoyances. 

"Well, maybe if someone hadn't introduced a demon to my Shade, then this wouldn't happen." Cecille shoots a quick glare at Suzy as Jack slowly pushes Dark away from him, earning a short chuckle and light slap to the arm. 

"Ken is a good guy. Cry needed that kind of influence around him. He sure wasn't getting it from Odd." Suzy tries to act angry, but Jack has resorted to gently slapping Dark's shoulders and talking about his broke horn, that puts a smile on her face. 

Cecille barely whispers 'true' before Suzy claps her hands to get the attention of the grown men acting like children. "Okay! We're going to leave. Don't kill eachother. You've been doing a good job of that."

Dark dramatically rolls his eyes at the many times Jack could've been killed this week if it wasn't for him. More like his good luck, honestly. Since Dark couldn't really do much to help. 

"Are ye going to poof away like how ye show up?" Jack asks through a large smile. His accent starting to break through from exhaustion and alcohol. 

Suzy sighs heavily before giving Jack a irritated look, "No. I'm going to Cecille's with her to talk. Now behave yourself and get some rest."

Cecille has already started walking to the front door, her talons clicking on the tile of the kitchen floor. 

"Aww. But I like the poof." Jack whines. Dark has left his side to accompany Suzy to the front door. After a couple seconds standing alone he follows suit. 

"Please don't let him get out for the rest of the day." Cecille says, turning to Dark as she gets to the door, "That soul will only keep him hyped up for short bursts. It can't keep going on the way Jack does."

Dark nods with a smile. A large part of him is annoyed by the lack of information he had received. She had told him just enough to keep him curious and partially paranoid before leaving him to do more babysitting. 

They say their goodbyes and watch as the two make their way across the street chattering about things they can't hear.

He survived the week with Jack. But Dark is almost positive there will be near death experiences for him in the future alongside the human. Maybe a successful one.


	12. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just need answers and times to make you laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try my hand at cute moments. Don't know how well this'll be

Once Dark has shut and locked the door he turns to find Jack gone. But he can hear his faint quick footsteps near the back of the house. 

"Oh, best friend?" Dark says in a sing song voice as he walks towards the living room. He isn't entirely pissed at Jack for all the shit he had gone through tonight. It was a fun little informative night, but now there was a lot more on the table for them. Especially the demon. 

He hears Jack's stifled laughter as he enters the room and is relieved to see him sitting on the couch with the cover Dark had been using to sleep pulled up to his nose. It's cute. 

"Well, we're in a whole mess of trouble thanks to you." Dark says with fake aggression. 

Jack takes no notice to the tone, and instead mutters. "Don't lie, ye had fun."

Dark just gives him the most fed up look he can withdraw. "You're going to be the death of me. I've told you before." 

"And I reminded ye that payback's a bitch!" Jack curls up closer to the arm of the couch, wrapping himself up tighter in the blanket. He smiles smuggly from the hem of the blanket. 

"And ye are right, you little leprechaun!" Dark says mocking his accent as he sits at the other end of the couch. Now that things have gotten quiet, he's noticed how tired he really is. His body aching more than usual. 

"Shuddup, ye one horned demon!" Jack says, blushing slightly. 

Dark only smiles at him before laying his head back on the couch. He stares at the ceiling as he goes over the night. It could've been worse. They did have fun. And he learned a lot of things he should've known in the first place. But his mind kept racing. 

"Hey." Jack mutters, breaking the demon from his concentration. 

"What?" Dark let's his head roll to one side to look at Jack, whose leaning against the couch as well. 

"Where'd you learn to play the violin?" He asks quietly. 

Dark raises his eyebrows at the random question. It had been a while since he had it out. He'd figured Jack would forget by now. But he goes along with it. "It's just always been with me, so I practiced a lot."

"Where did you put it earlier? Like, the poofing away?" Jack makes a little hand gesture of what 'poofing' means. 

"All demons and angels can do that. It kind of goes into your inventory. Like a video game, I guess." Dark tries to explain it, but it's something far beyond a human's knowledge. More of a telekinesis thing. 

"How do you make it come back?" Jack asks curiously. His bright blue eyes are wide and his smile is lopsided as he leans on the couch. 

"You summon it. Like, calling for it from your memory. You never forget what's there. So if I called for my violin," he closes his eyes briefly as he thinks of the little wooden instrument. In a quick motion, the violin appears from a swirl of red, in Dark's hands, "it'll appear."

"Woah!" Jack jumps forward to examine the instrument. Up closer, he sees that it's a grayish type of wood, with a couple burned symbols on the top. "That's fucking cool!" 

Dark laughs as he conjures up the bow as well. Quickly sliding it across the strings to make a quick high note. 

"How much can you hold?" Jack asks, still locked onto the violin with excited eyes. 

"Not a lot. Higher ranked demons can hold more. I can only hold three or four things. Ken could probably hold about ten things." Dark says sitting up straighter as he plays soft light tunes on the instrument. 

"Ken did kind of look powerful. But super friendly." Jack says leaning his head back against the couch. The music suddenly making him feel completely relaxed and at ease. "What else do you have in your head?"

Dark pauses before laying the violin in his lap. He holds up his hand and focuses on for a few seconds before a bright pink collar appears. It's a dog collar with a bandana attached to the hem. 

"I've had this ever since I got to hell." He hold it out to Jack but the irishman shows no interest in taking it. There's almost a horrified look on his face. 

"Do you have a dog?" Jack says looking at the blank set of red dog tags on it. It practically looks brand new. 

"Not that I know of. It used to creep me out though." Dark summons it away and quickly goes back to playing the violin. "Dogs are rare in hell. Kind of like how cats are rare in heaven. Hellhounds are pretty ferocious."

Jack's horrified expression subsides as he hears the music again. "Maybe it's from your past."

"I don't know. I tried getting rid of it before, but it always comes back to my head. I think it's cursed. Maybe the reason I have such bad luck?" Dark chuckles at the absurdity of the idea. It was just a collar. 

"Don't worry," Jack says reassuringly, "We'll figure it out. Maybe even lift your curse."

Dark smiles to himself as he nods. His tune slows down as he begins the introduction to Hallelujah. 

Jack listens like it is his favorite song. It might as well be now. Everything feels safe and warm around him and his eyelids begin getting heavier and heavier as the song continues. 

Dark watches as Jack zones out. His eyes slowly shutting as his breathing evens out. Slowing down the song and playing on lower notes, he watches as Jack finally nods off. When he's absolutely sure that the human is fully asleep, he stops playing. Quietly putting the little wooden instrument back into the space of his blank memory. 

He watches Jack for a minute. Observing the way the none-dyed sides of his hair flakes with little gray hairs. His facial hair had grown out quite a bit during this week, which gets Dark to think about his own scraggy scruff. He probably looks like a bum by now. 

Jack's hair is the real winner though. The little fluff of bright green is sticking up everywhere. It literally looks like a clump of grass stuck to his head. Parts of it sticking to his forehead while the rest stand up straight. He looks like he's never used a comb in his life. 

Before Dark can even register what he's doing, he's running his fingers through the mess of green hair. Combing down the cowlicks and stray hairs as he pats it down. It's softer than what he imagined it'd be. 

Just as he realizes what he's doing, he sees Jack's lips curl up in a smirk. Yanking his hand back like he had just touched fire, he heard the other laugh. 

"Playing with my fabulous hair while I sleep?" Jack mumbles, cracking one sleepy eye open to grin mischievously at the demon. 

Dark could feel the heat rushing to his face as he growled. "Shut up! It looked like a rat's nest!"

"Aww, trying to get some Irish luck from me?" Jack chuckled, jutting his foot out to push against Dark's leg. 

Dark laughed and quickly stuck his hand back in Jack's hair, petting it roughly. "Do I get a wish now? Huh?"

Jack was fully awake now, laughing loudly and trying to push Dark's hand away. "I ain't no fuckin' genie, you ass!"

"Then give me my pot of gold!" Dark yelled as Jack pushed him away by stretching his legs out. 

Dark ran his fingers more roughly through Jack's hair, pushing the human into the couch. He began using his other arm to push Jack's legs away. 

The play fight continued until Jack could barely fight back, face red and out of breath from laughing. Dark laughing at the way his hair stood completely up. 

Dark finally sighed to himself as he caught his breath, "You need to go to bed. It's like five in the morning."

It was incredibly late, and even though Jack had slept over 12 hours, he was exhausted. He slung his legs over the edge of the couch and groaned loudly. "I don't want to move. Just let me sleep here."

"Hell no. This is where I sleep." Dark snatched the covers off him as he spoke. Jack only groaned louder. 

"Go sleep in my bed. I'm tired." Jack let his body go limp against the arm of the couch, dangling his head to the side. 

"I will carry you if it means I get my bed." Dark threatened. It wasn't really a threat, and he had no intentions of carrying the dead weight, but he really liked this couch. 

"Fine." Jack huffed as he forced himself to stand, a little wobbly at first. "How the hell do you stand sleeping on that thing anyways? It was cheap as hell. I've had it like ten years."

"I used to sleep under a bridge. This is heavenly to me." Dark says. It was supposed to come out as a joke, but the way Jack looks at him says it was taken seriously. Although, it wasn't a lie. 

"Alright, alright. Sleep on the couch." Jack forces a smile, attempting to fix his hair. 

As he makes his way to his room, he quickly runs his hand through the demon's hair, barely skimming his fingers over the horn that was still there, "Night, asshole."

Dark shivers at the sudden touch. He can't say anyone's ever done that to him. It was nice though. He smiles to himself as he calls back, "Sleep tight, leprechaun."


End file.
